The United States will send $1.3 billion in financial assistance to Kyiv in order to purchase a host of new military equipment and ammunition, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The new security support followed several U.S. announcements of humanitarian and other aid, and brought the total new U.S. commitment to Ukraine this week alone to $2.3 billion.
The United States has invested more in Ukraine’s defense and recovery than any other country, according to a tracker compiled by the Keil Institute in Germany. That data shows that total U.S. aid to Ukraine since shortly before the war had surpassed $70 billion by the end of May, including military support, humanitarian aid and financial commitments.
The new funds announced by the Pentagon will buy four additional air-defense missile systems called NASAMS, which are jointly produced by the United States and Norway; more 152-millimeter artillery shells for Ukraine’s older Soviet-era howitzers; anti-tank missiles and one-way attack drones; as well as equipment for clearing land mines.
Fighting through Russian anti-tank and anti-personnel land mines are a major obstacle for Ukrainian forces pressing their slow-moving counteroffensive, leading to many casualties. Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed that problem on Tuesday following a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — a coalition of about 50 nations that meets monthly to discuss military and humanitarian aid for Kyiv, which includes all NATO countries as well as many of the United States’ non-NATO allies.
Source : nytimes
