The US has allocated a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine. This is the latest package from the Biden administration.
Points of attention
- The US has allocated a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine, the latest from the Biden administration.
- The assistance includes additional missiles, shells, and equipment for Ukrainian F-16s.
- US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine in its fight for self-defense.
- The United States has provided Ukraine with a total of $66 billion in military aid since the beginning of Russia's invasion.
The US has allocated the latest aid package from the Biden administration
This was announced by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a visit to Germany, where he last chaired a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues in Ukraine before the end of his term.
What is included in the assistance:
Additional missiles for Ukraine's air defense systems.
More air-to-surface missiles and rockets.
Other equipment to support the operation of Ukrainian F-16s.
I am determined to do everything I can to help Ukraine live in freedom and security, and to create a more just and dignified world. Our work together must continue.
Lloyd Austin
US Secretary of Defense
Austin emphasized that support for Ukraine is important for all allies.
Ukraine’s struggle is a challenge to free people everywhere. We all have a stake in ensuring that autocrats cannot place their imperial ambitions above the fundamental rights of free and sovereign peoples. Ukraine is waging a just war of self-defense, and this is one of the most important causes of our time,” Lloyd Austin noted.
The US Secretary of Defense also added that it was an honor for him to chair the Contact Group, and he looks forward to another productive meeting within its framework.
As a reminder, a new meeting of Ukraine's allies in the Ramstein format is taking place on January 9. Representatives of the Contact Group gathered at a military airbase in Germany after a four-month break. Ramstein will consider military support for Ukraine until 2027.
What is known about the previous aid package for Ukraine?
As mentioned earlier, on December 30, official Washington announced a defense assistance package to Ukraine worth almost $2.5 billion.
At that time, the issue was about providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons and equipment from the US Department of Defense reserves worth $1.25 billion.
In addition, orders for new weapons worth $1.22 billion were authorized under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
What is important to understand is that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine has been $66 billion.
By the way, recently, future US President Donald Trump said that he plans to continue supporting Ukraine, but has not yet disclosed all the details.
