By KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday announced President Joseph Biden’s authorization of up to $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine to meet critical security and defense needs.
"This authorization is the Biden Administration’s twenty-sixth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021," according to the website of the U.S. Defense Department.
According to the post, the assistance package includes: additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); 150 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS); additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); some 200 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds; some 10,000 120 mm mortar rounds; high-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs); some 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs); over 100 light tactical vehicles; over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition; over 200 generators; spare parts for 105mm Howitzers and other equipment.
With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal missile and UAS attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities remain an urgent priority. The additional munitions for NASAMS and heavy machine guns will help Ukraine counter these urgent threats.
According to the agency, in total, the United States has committed more than $19.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $21.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $19 billion since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24.
To meet Ukraine’s evolving battlefield requirements, the United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with key capabilities.
