U.S. pledges $1 billion in new Ukraine military aid
On Monday, the Pentagon announced another $1 billion in military aid for Ukraine, the largest delivery of arms from U.S. stockpiles, including rockets and ammunition, so far.
Video Transcript
- At every level of this administration, we're committed to continued security assistance for Ukraine as they stand up to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion. Today, President Biden directed the 18th drawdown of an additional $1 billion in weapons and equipment from the Department of Defense inventories. This is the largest single drawdown of US arms and equipment utilizing this authority to date. The package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons, and equipment, the types of which the Ukrainian people are using so effectively to defend their country.
The capabilities in this package include the following-- additional ammunition for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS; 75,000 rounds of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition; 20 120-millimeter mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of associated mortar ammunition; munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS; 1,000 Javelin systems and hundreds of AT4 antiarmor systems; 50 armored medical treatment vehicles; Claymore antipersonnel munitions; C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment; and medical supplies to include first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment.
These are all critical capabilities to help the Ukrainians repel the Russian offensive in the east and also to address evolving developments in the south and elsewhere. The United States has now committed approximately $9.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including $9.1 billion since the beginning of Russia's most recent unprovoked invasion in February. The United States continues to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its evolving battlefield requirements. And our allies and partners have stepped up to provide billions of dollars in their own assistance.
