US will send $1.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The US will send $1.7 billion in military aid to Ukraineofficials announced Monday, including a range of munitions for air defense systems, artillery, mortars, and anti-tank and anti-ship missiles.
The package includes $1.5 billion in financing for long-term contracts through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and $200 million in direct military assistance from the Pentagon’s stockpiles.
The latest arms injection comes just over two weeks after NATO’s summit in Washington, where allies spent much of the time shoring up support for Ukraine as it fends off Russian forces. President Joe Biden announced at the summit that the U.S. would send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, fulfilling a key request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
NATO members agreed on a new program to provide reliable military assistance to Ukraine and prepare for eventual membership in the alliance. And they stated that Ukraine is on a ” irreversible ”path to NATO accession.
The latest package includes anti-aircraft guns, missiles, artillery and anti-tank weapons delivered through presidential withdrawal authority, allowing the Pentagon to take the weapons directly off the shelves.
Air defense weapons include munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.
The Pentagon said the weapons contracted for in the longer term will include “capabilities to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses,” as well as other weapons.
The US also provides secure communications systems and financing for commercial satellite imagery services, as well as demolition equipment.
In an unusual move, however, the Defense Department refused to clarify which specific systems would be sent to Ukraine quickly via the PDA and which would be funded through contracts and therefore not arrive on the front lines for months or years.
With the latest funding, the US has sent more than $55.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the package contains “important combat capabilities.” He said it is the ninth military aid package for Ukraine since late April, when Congress finally approved additional funding for aid to Kiev after months of stalemate and delays.
At the time, he said, “there were legitimate concerns that Russia would achieve a strategic breakthrough on the battlefield by the summer.” But since the funding was approved by Congress, “Ukraine’s defenses have been strengthened and Ukrainian forces have continued to fight valiantly and repel the Russian advance.”