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KYIV. Nov 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Department of Defense of the United States (DoD) has announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine, including $125 million for the country’s immediate battlefield needs and $300 million to strengthen its air defenses over the long term.
“Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs. This includes the drawdown of security assistance from DoD inventories valued at up to $125 million to meet Ukraine’s immediate battlefield needs, as well as $300 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses over the long term,” it said in a press release on Friday.
According to the statement, the package includes: additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds; Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing, M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions, 12 trucks to transport heavy equipment, cold weather gear, and spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.
Under USAI, the DoD will provide Ukraine with additional laser-guided munitions to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems.
USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry for Ukraine, the press release says.
“This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process through USAI to provide additional capabilities to Ukraine’s Armed Forces,” it said.
“This package makes use of $300 million of USAI available under the Continuing Resolution that Congress recently passed, and exhausts the remaining USAI funds currently available to support Ukraine. The Administration continues to call on Congress to meet its commitment to the people of Ukraine by passing additional funding to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice,” the DoD said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the X social network (formerly Twitter): “To date, Ukraine has reclaimed more than half the territory Russia seized since 2022. Arms and equipment announced today as part of continued U.S. assistance will help sustain Ukraine’s battlefield needs.”
