US President Joe Biden in a press conference on Wednesday, March 16, announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine to $1 billion in just the past week, and a total of $2 billion since the start of the Biden Administration.
The assistance will take the form of direct transfers of equipment from the Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military to help them defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.
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According to Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine published on The White House official web-site, the new $800 million assistance package includes:
- 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
- 2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems;
- 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
- 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, and 400 shotguns;
- Over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds;
- 25,000 sets of body armor; and
- 25,000 helmets.
In addition to the weapons listed above, previous United States assistance committed to Ukraine includes:
- Over 600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
- Approximately 2,600 Javelin anti-armor systems;
- Five Mi-17 helicopters;
- Three patrol boats;
- Four counter-artillery and counter-unmanned aerial system tracking radars;
- Four counter-mortar radar systems;
- 200 grenade launchers and ammunition;
- 200 shotguns and 200 machine guns;
- Nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and over 1 million grenade, mortar, and artillery rounds;
- 70 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and other vehicles;
- Secure communications, electronic warfare detection systems, body armor, helmets, and other tactical gear;
- Military medical equipment to support treatment and combat evacuation;
- Explosive ordnance disposal and demining equipment; and
- Satellite imagery and analysis capability.
In addition to the U.S.-produced short-range air defense systems the Ukrainians have been using to great effect, the United States has also identified and is helping the Ukrainians acquire additional, longer-range systems on which Ukraine’s forces are already trained, as well as additional munitions for those systems.
The new $800 million assistance package includes anti-aicraft systems, air defence systems and other amunition to help Ukraine defend against Russia’s invasion.
The United States may also hand over about 100 Switchblade kamikaze drones to Ukraine. At the same time, US President Biden said that Ukraine's struggle against the aggressor state could be long and difficult.
Earlier, CNN, citing data from the White House, announced that the United States plans to transfer to Ukraine additional systems which include the Soviet-era SA-8, SA-10, SA-12 and SA-14 mobile air defense systems. The systems have been sourced from NATO partner nations.
Read more: US Senate Passes resolution condemning Putin as war criminal
