Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new $400 million military aid package to Ukraine on Wednesday.
The package will include “additional arms, munitions, and air defense equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories,” Blinken said in a statement, which didn’t provide many specifics on the weapons heading to Ukraine. It is the 26th time the administration is using the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the United States to take from its stockpiles and provide those weapons to Ukraine.
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“The United States will continue to stand with more than 40 allies and partners in support of the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence with extraordinary courage and boundless determination,” the secretary continued.“The artillery ammunition, precision fires, air defense missiles, and tactical vehicles that we are providing will best serve Ukraine on the battlefield.”
The package includes additional munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, 150 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to counter unmanned aerial systems, additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 20,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, and 10 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, among other weapons, the Department of Defense announced.
The Biden administration has continued to provide military and financial assistance to Ukraine as Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on. President Joe Biden, Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have reiterated their support for Ukraine and willingness to continue to provide aid for the foreseeable future. Though there are some concerns the Republican-led House could create some headaches, the party has overwhelmingly supported previous legislation to help Ukraine.
The total amount of U.S. military aid provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded now exceeds $19 billion.
Ukraine has continued to regain territory back in the south and east, but Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine nationwide in a long-standing aerial assault that has in recent weeks targeted Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, plunging millions of civilians into blackouts and the cold ahead of the winter.
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“With the onset of winter, families will be without power and, more importantly, without heat. Basic human survival and subsistence is going to be severely impacted, and human suffering for the Ukrainian population is going to increase,” Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week. “These strikes will undoubtedly hinder Ukraine’s ability to care for the sick and the elderly. Their hospitals will be partially operational. The elderly are going to be exposed to the elements.”
