US announces $1.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine

The Pentagon announced $1.7 billion in new military assistance for Ukraine on Monday, including missiles, ammunition and anti-tank weapons to counter Russia’s invasion. 

The package includes $200 million in immediate assistance drawn from existing weapons and equipment stockpiles within the Department of Defense and a $1.5 billion long-term commitment from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.

The firepower heading Ukraine’s way includes surface-to-air missiles; short- and medium-range air defense munitions; RIM-7 missiles for air defense; electronic warfare equipment; High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) rockets; artillery and mortar rounds; Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles; and Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank weapons, among other pieces of equipment. 

The latest package represents the 62nd drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine authorized by President Biden and the 20th tranche distributed under USAI, according to the Pentagon. 

“The United States is sending Ukraine a significant new package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to support its military forces as they defend against Russia’s assault,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. 

“This support will help strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and reinforce Ukraine’s capabilities across the front lines,” he added.

Blinken noted that the security assistance package is the ninth since Congress approved $60 billion in additional funding for Kyiv in April.

“We will deploy this new assistance as quickly as possible to bolster Ukraine’s defense of its territory and its people,” the secretary of state said. 

“As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine,” the Biden administration official added. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “deeply grateful” for the $1.7 billion in military aid, noting that the funding will help “sustain previously committed equipment from the United States.”

“Today in the Kharkiv region, I witnessed firsthand how such ongoing assistance allows us to save lives and protect people from Russian attacks,” Zelensky wrote on X.  “Most importantly, this assistance shows America’s strength and leadership in the face of aggression and terror. 

“The stronger such leadership, the more stable the world.”