The Biden administration has announced Thursday a new $600 million package of military aid to Ukraine as the war in Eastern Europe nears its 7-month length, supplying Ukraine with highly requested HIMAR ammunition among various equipment, ammo, and arms. This comes after a previous $2.9 billion infusion of aid and financing support was announced last week and more than $3 billion announced in late August. Sources told Reuters additionally the newest aid includes funding for education and military training. This newest package also includes:
– 36,000 105mm artillery shells;
– 1,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery shells;
– 4 counter-artillery radars;
– 4 trucks and 8 trailers for transportation of heavy equipment;
– Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (anti-drone);
– Mine-clearing equipment;
– Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
– Demolition munitions and equipment;
– Small arms and ammunition;
– Night vision devices, cold weather gear, and other field equipment.
In total the United States has committed $15.1 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine, $15.8 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration, and overall $17.9 billion since 2014.
U.S leaders also have made it clear that shipments of such precision weapons and rocket systems as HIMARS, have been key to the dramatic shift in momentum seen in Ukraine as a serious of counter attacks penetrated Russian defense in the northern Oblast (region) of Kharkiv, forcing the invading army into a retreat and with Ukraine taking back thousands of square kilometers of territory.
President Joe Biden authorized the latest assistance using his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorize the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks. The White House followed this up by saying it was the 21st time that the US’s defense department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine.
“With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future,” U.S secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement. “The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine‘s hand at the negotiating table when the time is right,”