US to Send Ukraine $270 Mln in Military Aid

The White House has announced that the United States will provide Ukraine with an additional $270 million in security assistance.

The US Department of Defense stated, in a press release, that part of this package, totaling $175 million, will be approved directly by US President Joe Biden, under the Presidential Emergency Authority.

The remainder of the $95 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds will be provided by the Ministry of Defense.

The announcement of the new package brings the total US security assistance to Ukraine to about $8.2 billion since the start of the Biden administration.

The new package includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and will allow Kyiv to acquire up to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones, both crucial weapon systems that have allowed the Ukrainians to stay in the fight despite Russian artillery supremacy, according to John Kirby, the White House National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications.

The latest assistance also includes some 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and additional ammunition for the HIMARS.

“The president has been clear that we’re going to continue to support the government of Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes,” Kirby said.

Earlier, the US revealed this month that it believes Russia plans to acquire several hundred drones from Iran.

Iranian drones have previously penetrated Saudi and Emirati air defense systems in the Middle East provided by the US Biden administration, and officials in the Biden administration have publicly tried to dissuade Iran from moving forward with the transfer.