US President Joe Biden has announced more military aid to Ukraine of almost three billion dollars (around three billion euros). With the money, Ukraine could buy air defense systems, artillery and ammunition and radar systems “to be able to defend itself in the long term,” Biden said on Wednesday, six months after Russia’s war of aggression against the country began.
The US President praised Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invaders. “Six months of incessant attacks have only increased Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country and in their 31 years of independence,” he said. The US stands firmly on the side of the Ukrainians.
In recent months, the Americans have already launched various aid packages for Ukraine on a large scale and in quick succession. Just last Friday, the US government announced that it would provide Kyiv with additional military aid of around 775 million US dollars (around 777 million euros).
US military support for Ukraine had thus increased to a total of 10.6 billion US dollars (around 10.6 billion euros) since the beginning of Biden’s term in office. Most of the aid has been flowing since the beginning of the war at the end of February.
So far, the focus of American support has primarily been on delivering arms and ammunition to the front in Ukraine as quickly as possible. Previous arms deliveries from the United States include numerous heavy weapons, such as howitzers and multiple rocket launchers.
With the new commitment, Biden now emphasized the focus on a long-term strengthening of the Ukrainian military. The US has plunked down massive sums of money in support of Ukraine.
In May, the US Congress approved funds of almost 40 billion dollars (40 billion euros) for this purpose. About half of the total amount went to the defense sector. Billions more were budgeted to, among other things, replenish US stockpiles of military equipment sent to Ukraine.
According to a statement, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced further military aid worth 54 million pounds (64 million euros) during his last visit as British Prime Minister to Ukraine. These include 2,000 state-of-the-art drones, 850 “Black Hornet” micro-drones for reconnaissance and guided missiles.
