The U.S. announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, as part of a broader $60 billion package approved by President Joe Biden last month.
Included in the package are air defense munitions for the Patriot missile system, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMAR) and munitions, Javelin and TOW guided missiles, armored personnel carriers and tactical vehicles, artillery and small weapons rounds, as well as an assortment of other armaments, State Department Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement on Friday. Kyiv had been urgently requesting the package to utilize in its war against Russia, whose own military is fighting at full force. (RELATED: Russia Exhibits US, NATO Heavy Weaponry Allegedly Seized In Ukraine)
“As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine in its defense of its freedom,” Blinken said on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a bilateral meeting with Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (not pictured) on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Thursday, April 18, 2024. Gregorio Borgia/Pool via REUTERS
The $60 billion aid package that passed with Biden’s signature and bipartisan approval in Congress includes $14 billion for the direct purchase of weapons through the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. At least $23 billion goes toward replenishing the U.S.’ weapons stockpile, which can be transferred to foreign allies through the presidential drawdown authority.
The $400 billion package reported on Friday will be tapped through the $23 billion tranche of the package, according to CNN. It is the second time aid has been drawn down after the U.S. announced a $1 billion package immediately after Biden signed the $60 billion aid bill; the aid was delivered to Kyiv within hours of the announcement.
The Pentagon also announced $6 billion in security assistance two days after Biden signed the bill, though that was tapped through $14 billion in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, rather than the president’s drawdown authority, according to CNN.
Ukraine has been pleading with its Western allies for months to quickly send additional military aid so it can continue defending against Russia’s invasion, which is slowly making territorial advancements along the eastern front. Ukraine was forced to withdraw from several positions in that region in recent months amid a shortage of manpower and munitions, while Russia’s military – though it has suffered immense losses — has fully resurged.
Some defense experts and lawmakers fear that even with additional aid, Ukraine will not be able to achieve its goal of securing a military victory against Russia.
“$50 billion, $60 billion, $10 billion — it doesn’t matter. It has to be tied to a strategy and to an objective that’s achievable,” Michael DiMino, senior fellow at Defense Priorities and former CIA officer, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It has to be a realistic objective. And I would argue that taking back 100% of Ukraine’s territory is not really a feasible military objective at this juncture.”
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