This is the 58th batch of weapons and equipment supplied to the country since August 2021
The Biden administration has approved a further $275 million of military assistance for Ukraine. According to the DoD, this is the 58th batch of weapons and equipment supplied to the Ukrainians since August 2021, and the fifth since Congress passed a $95 billion package of foreign-security aid in April.
This new batch will comprise ammunition for US HIMARS rocket systems, artillery shells, mortar rounds, anti-tank missile launchers, aerial munities, mines and a wide variety of other equipment.
“Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press statement on Friday.
“As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine in its defense of its freedom.”
Earlier in the month, a $400 million package was announced that included Patriot and SAM missile launchers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and anti-tank launchers.
A further $2 billion was committed on May 15 to support Ukraine’s domestic arms-production capabilities.
Fighting has intensified in the northeast Kharkiv region in recent weeks, with Russian forces making significant gains. The US has come under pressure, including from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, to allow US-made weapons to be used against targets inside Russia.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he would be willing to agree a ceasefire on the current frontlines, with Russia retaining the four regions of Ukraine it currently controls.
