Boosting Defenses: US Commits $400 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

News
Jul 25 2023 10:01 AM
ANIKET DIXIT

Washington: As the conflict's attacks intensified to include strikes in Moscow and Crimea, US officials announced Monday that the Biden administration is sending Ukraine up to $400 million in additional military aid, including a range of munitions for sophisticated air defence systems and several small, surveillance Hornet drones.

The package includes a variety of ammunition, such as Stingers and Javelins, as well as missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The Pentagon can quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine, often within days, thanks to presidential drawdown authority, which is how the weapons are being provided.

According to officials, the US is also sending 28 million rounds of small-arms ammunition, 32 Stryker armoured vehicles, mortars, Hydra-70 rockets, and howitzer artillery rounds. The Hornets are tiny nano-drones that are primarily used for gathering intelligence. Additionally, in the past, other Western allies have given them to Ukraine. Due to the fact that the aid package has not yet been disclosed, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the US has given it more than $41 billion in total in the form of military assistance. The most recent shipment of arms comes after a Ukrainian drone attacked an ammunition depot in the Crimean peninsula that Russia has annexed, and Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on Moscow. One of the drones reportedly crashed close to the city's core, not far from the imposing Defence Ministry building.

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The second drone attack on the Russian capital this month, the strike was not immediately attributed to Ukrainian authorities.

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In the meantime, drone attacks using explosives were launched by the Russian military on southern Ukrainian ports. The attack was the most recent in a series of assaults that have destroyed parts of the port over the past week. The attacks were described as payback by the Kremlin for the Ukrainian attack on the vital Kerch Bridge connecting Russia and Crimea last week.