WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden announced he approved a new $325 million military aid package for kyiv as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Thursday.
While the package will not include the long-range ATACMS missiles that Zelensky has requested for months, it will contain additional missiles, rockets and ammunition that the United States has sent to Ukraine in previous packages.
The new package will include an undisclosed number of AIM-9M air defense missiles, HIMARS rockets, Avenger air defense systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells for howitzers, tube-launched and optically tracked wire-guided missiles and Javelin and AT- 4 anti-armor systems.
The United States is also sending more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition as well as .50-caliber machine guns intended to destroy Iranian-made military drones that Russian troops have been using to surveil and kill Ukrainian forces, the Pentagon said in a statement. statement..
In addition to the weapons, the package will also include 59 light tactical vehicles, demolition munitions for clearing obstacles, as well as various “spare parts, maintenance and other field equipment,” according to the Pentagon.
President Joe Biden announced that he approved a new $325 million military aid package for Kiev.via REUTERS
Biden received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Thursday.ZUMAPRESS.com
Although Zelensky will not receive his long-awaited ATACMS, he said it was “very important” that he meet with Biden at the White House on Thursday.
“Today I am in Washington to strengthen our coalition to defend Ukrainian children, our families, our homes, freedom and democracy in the world,” he said. “I look forward to this president participating in our discussion for the benefit of our nations and the world.”
The weapons and equipment, all of which will come from the Defense Department’s stockpile, were approved as some Republicans in Congress question the future of sending additional military aid to kyiv. However, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday that he believes the vast majority of lawmakers (both Democrats and Republicans) still favor supporting Ukraine.
Thursday’s aid package was the 47th the Biden administration sent to Ukraine, the vast majority of which was provided after Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022. AFP via Getty Images
Amid hesitancy among certain members of the Republican Party, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected Zelensky’s request to speak before a joint session of Congress while in Washington on Thursday. The Ukrainian president’s previous speeches to lawmakers had built support for additional aid for Ukraine’s fight to expel Russian troops from its territory.
Acknowledging that some polls have indicated weakening support for arming Ukraine among the American public, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Gen. Patrick Ryder said it was important to “reemphasize why Ukraine matters.”
“In addition to helping our Ukrainian partners defend themselves from unprovoked aggression, the implications not only for European security but also for international and US security are very stark,” he said, warning that Russian President Vladimir Zelensky would likely invade other nations if they win the war.
Thursday’s aid package was the 47th the Biden administration sent to Ukraine, the vast majority of which was provided after Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022, according to the Pentagon. The new $325 million package brings the total amount sent to Ukraine since the start of the war to approximately $44 billion.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn