U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, has announced a military aid package for Ukraine valued up to $6 billion.
According to him, “I’m also pleased to announce today an additional commitment of $6 billion through our Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative that will allow us to procure new capabilities for Ukraine from US industry,” Austin said at a news conference after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was formed after Russia launched the war in February 2022.
“This is the largest security assistance package that we’ve committed to date,” he added.
It will include air defense munitions, counter-drone systems, artillery ammunition, and maintenance and sustainment support, Austin said.
The Pentagon announced a new arms package Wednesday for Ukraine, minutes after Biden signed a $95 billion spending bill into law that funds his top-line national security priorities, including more than $60.8 billion for Ukraine.
The first tranche of assistance is valued at up to $1 billion, and includes RIM-7 and AIM-9M air defense missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, small arms and additional ammunition for them, including .50 caliber rounds to counter drones, according to a statement.
