The Biden administration has approved an additional $ 100 million in military aid to Ukraine to help a confused country fight an ongoing invasion by Russian troops.
“Today, on May 19, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced approval for a presidential drawdown of security assistance worth up to $ 100 million, from Ukrainian DoD inventory since August 2021. It’s the 10th drawdown of the equipment, “said Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby on May 19. press release..
The package includes 18 155mm howitzers, a tactical vehicle towing 18 155mm howitzers, 3 AN / TPQ-36 counter-battery radars, and field equipment and spare parts.
So far, the United States has promised about $ 4.6 billion in security assistance since the inauguration of the Biden administration. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, $ 3.9 billion of the $ 4.6 billion has been paid.
Since 2014, the United States has provided more than $ 6.6 billion in security assistance to European countries.
The newly announced ammunition will be supplied to the Ukrainian army in the eastern region. According to Kirby, the item will “start flowing very, very quickly.”
“I can’t tell you the exact date everything will be displayed in Ukraine, but I’ve seen us doing this in the past, so imagine we’re not going to pick it up. Yes, according to the Pentagon, we will soon start shedding such things, “Kirby said. news update.
The United States has already provided Ukraine with 90 155mm howitzers, more than 200,000 shells, 1,400 Stinger-to-aircraft systems, more than 700 switchblade tactical unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and more than 5,000 Javelin anti-armor systems. I am.
The $ 100 million military aid follows the House of Representatives, which approved a $ 40 billion aid package to Ukraine on May 10. The bill will provide Kyiv with financial as well as military aid and support regional allies. It will help the Pentagon to replenish previously shipped weapons.
The bill will bring total US support to Ukraine $ 54 billion. This includes $ 13.6 billion approved by Congress in March.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced the approval of a new $ 100 million military aid, stating: Sides and wider areas, according to May 19 ” press release..
The European Union has approved € 2 billion ($ 2.11 billion) in financial support for Ukraine. Of this amount, € 500 million ($ 527 million) was announced last week and will be used to purchase heavy weapons.
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Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter on business and global events in The Epoch Times.