The Pentagon unveiled another batch of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, with support worth up to $200 million.
As part of the package, the 48th tranche of material sent to Eastern Europe, the Biden administration plans to send 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), AIM-9M missiles for air defense and counterattacks. -Unmanned drone systems.
“This security assistance package is an important signal of the United States’ continued commitment to supporting the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression,” the Defense Department said in a statement.
Officials will send the aid through presidential withdrawal authority, meaning it will come from current U.S. reserves and can therefore be sent quickly.
The alternative method of sending aid is to contract a defense company to manufacture it through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
Lloyd Austin and Charles Q. Brown affirmed the United States’ commitment to Ukraine on Wednesday during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.REUTERS
Biden administration officials have implored Congress to replenish funding to help the war-torn nation as soon as possible.
As of early October, the United States had $5.4 billion in withdrawal authority and about $1.6 billion in authorized funds that the Pentagon planned to use to bolster its own stockpile, military officials said.
Congress has been plunged into paralysis after eight House Republicans and a united bloc of Democrats ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on October 3.
So far, Congress has approved approximately $113 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, although not all of it has been delivered. More than $70 billion was allocated for security assistance.
The White House has been struggling to guide the US response to the wars raging in Ukraine and Israel.REUTERS
The Biden administration asked Congress for an additional $24 billion in aid in August.
“Security assistance to Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security. “It helps prevent further conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating high-skilled jobs for the American people,” the Pentagon added.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his counterparts from about 50 countries at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday. The US-led organization works to coordinate arms deliveries to kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently expressed his support for Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorists.REUTERS
Austin was joined by the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles Q. Brown.
“I think after listening this morning, but also listening later this afternoon [of] With all the contributions from each of the nations, I think we are putting the Ukrainians in a good position,” Brown said. “I realize that during the winter months it becomes more challenging, but… I think based on what I heard today from each of the nations, we are doing all the right things to push them to be successful.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the meeting, the first time he has done so in person since Austin launched the monthly meetings last May.
A handful of House Republicans, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have criticized the additional funding for Ukraine.
The Biden administration is also seeking help from Congress to address the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn