The Biden White House has announced another new weapons package worth $275 million for Ukraine, bringing the total cost of military aid to $18.5 billion sent to the country since January 2021.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared additional contributions on Friday.
“Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, today I am authorizing our twenty-fourth drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since August 2021,” Blinken said.
Blinken added that the drawdown would boast weapons from the Pentagon’s own inventories.
“We are also working to provide Ukraine with the air defense capabilities it needs with the two initial U.S.-provided NASAMS ready for delivery to Ukraine next month, and we are working with Allies and partners to enable delivery of their own air defense systems to Ukraine,” he added.
As Breitbart reported:
The package will include HIMARS rocket system ammunition, 2,000 155mm howitzer rounds, 155 Humvee tactical vehicles, 500 precision-guided artillery rounds, remote anti-armor mine systems, over 2.75 million rounds of small arms ammunition, and more than 1,300 shoulder-mounted multipurpose assault weapons.
The New York Post reported the latest package would also comprise military satellite communication antennas to connect with Ukrainian troops if Russian forces attack civilian sites and infrastructure.
“These just help improve communications capabilities on the battlefield,” U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
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“I mean, we’re seeing Ukrainian infrastructure and electrical grids being targeted by the Russians, and these antennas provide an additional capability on the ground at a critical time when Ukraine’s infrastructure has been hit,” she added.
U.S. officials are facing mounting questions about the billions of dollars in arms sent to Ukraine over the past year as Americans suffer from soaring inflation and energy costs.
“As in any conflict, we remain vigilant to the possibility that criminal and non-state actors may attempt to illicitly acquire weapons from sources in Ukraine, including members of the Russian military, during or following the conflict,” the State Department said in a statement.
The new aid package comes following news that Ukrainian forces are fighting to surround the southern city of Kherson, attacking Russia’s foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
