The US Department of Defence (DoD) announced an additional USD 425 million worth of security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defence needs. This includes the drawdown of security assistance from DoD inventories valued at up to USD 125 million to meet Ukraine’s immediate battlefield needs. Moreover, another USD 300 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds to boost Ukraine’s air defences over the long term. “This announcement includes the Biden administration’s fiftieth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, including additional air defence capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ongoing war of aggression,” the US Defence Department said in an official statement.
This package utilizes assistance previously authorized for Ukraine during prior fiscal years under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). According to the statement, some of the specific capabilities in this package include 12 trucks to transport heavy equipment and over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades. The currently approved package “makes use of USD 300 million of USAI available under the Continuing Resolution that Congress recently passed, and exhausts the remaining USAI funds currently available to support Ukraine,” the statement added.
The administration continues to call on Congress to meet its commitment to the Ukrainian people by passing additional funding to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war. Moreover, the US is committed to working with nearly 50 allies and partners who are providing Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to defend itself now and deter Russian aggression in the future. “Our allies and partners have stepped up to provide approximately USD 35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine,” the statement stressed. Notably, under the US leadership, this global coalition has enabled Ukraine’s courageous forces to successfully defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and take back more than half of the territory seized by Russian invaders.RSS
