The latest American shipment of military assistance for Ukraine weighed in at nearly 80 tons and included 300 Javelin missiles as Western fears of a Russian incursion grow.
Tuesday’s shipment — the third installment of the $200 million in aid authorized by President Biden — tipped the scales at 79 tons, according to the US Embassy in Kiev.
The embassy shared several images of the shipment in a tweet, affirming that the US “stands” with Russia’s western neighbor.
“300 Javelins. 79 tons of security assistance for Ukraine’s armed forces,” the embassy wrote. “Tonight, the third shipment of $200 million in assistance authorized by President Biden arrived at Boryspil Airport in Kyiv. The US stands with Ukraine, and we will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs.”
Javelins are anti-tank missiles that can be locked on a variety of targets such as armored vehicles, bunkers and caves. Due to their size, they can be launched by a single person and can be used on various platforms. The missiles are capable of being used day and night, as well as in all weather conditions, according to Raytheon.
The first shipment of aid arrived in Ukraine last Friday and included nearly 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for forces on the front lines.
“The shipment — and $2.7 billion since 2014 — demonstrates U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russian aggression,” the embassy said in a Friday tweet.
The second shipment arrived Sunday and included more than 80 tons of weapons, according to Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
Reznikov shared images of the shipment on social media, along with a photo of a dog sitting on the materiel.
“The second bird in Kyiv! More than 80 tons of weapons to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities from our friends in the USA! And this is not the end,” he wrote on Twitter.
A State Department spokesperson told The Post that the shipments include “additional Javelin and other anti-armor systems, munitions and non-lethal equipment essential to Ukraine’s front-line defenders.”
“Those deliveries are ongoing,” the spokesperson added.
Biden signed off on the aid in December as Russia continued to press the US and NATO to block Ukraine and other former Soviet bloc states from joining the alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed approximately 100,000 troops in several spots along the border. Just last week, Russian forces were seen transporting military equipment into Belarus — stoking fears of an invasion from the north.
Last week, the State Department detailed that the security assistance from the US includes non-lethal and lethal defense items including “High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, secure communications, satellite imagery and analysis support, counter-battery radars, night vision devices and thermal scopes, sniper rifles, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures.”
The department is also looking to help develop a modern combat training center with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The US has committed more than $2.7 billion in security assistance since 2014 “to build the capacity of Ukraine’s forces, including more than $650 million in 2021 alone,” the State Department spokesperson said.
In addition to the recent shipments, the US is also preparing to amp up its military presence in Europe and has placed up to 8,500 troops on “heightened alert” in the event of an invasion.
There is no plan to deploy the troops yet, the Pentagon announced Monday, and if deployed, they would be sent to bolster NATO’s Response Force.
The US has also given the go-ahead for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to send American-made weapons to Ukraine.
Other NATO members, such as the UK, Denmark, France and Spain, have also sought to assist Ukraine with additional weapons equipment while increasing their military presence.
