During a joint press conference May 15th with his Ukrainian counterpart, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the allocation of an additional military aid package equivalent to USD 2 billion. The provision will be aimed at strengthening the Ukrainian army and defense industry. As Blinken specifically highlighted, these funds will go to the Defense Enterprise Fund, which will consist of three components.
These are: 1) assistance with the purchase of what Ukraine needs immediately, 2) investments in the Ukrainian domestic defense industry, and 3) payment for the weapons purchased for Ukraine, not only in the USA but also from manufacturers in other countries as well.
Read more: Ukraine Allegedly Strikes the Belbek Airfield with ATACMS, Likely Hits russian MiG-31 Aircraft
The priorities outlined by Blinken in his speech are indicative here, the one of foremost importance being to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems, anti-aircraft missiles, artillery ammunition, and armored vehicles. Verbatim: "We are focused in our discussions on the details of what we are doing to find and deliver more air defense systems to Ukraine. I can say that this is a priority for us," the U.S. Secretary of State said.
Although the words above may look as abstract as possible, they indicate the potential ways these 2 billion dollars can be spent. The first potential vector is the purchase of air defense systems for Ukraine in third countries, particularly of Patriot anti-missile systems.
Just a little over a week ago, President of Romania Klaus Iohannis suggested transferring one of the Romanian Patriots to Ukraine, however, the government soon became "hesitant" about the idea. Nonetheless, the negotiations have begun, the main issue being the conditions of such a transfer — loaned or gifted — and guarantees for a replacement.
Alternatively, use Israel's decommissioned Patriots to supply to Ukraine, for an appropriate compensation that could be funded with the $2 billion provision.
That said, the needs of the Ukrainian army are not limited to air defense, it also needs all the varieties of weapons that can be delivered in the shortest possible time. As follows from the priority list of the Defense Enterprise Fund, the finances will be spent to satisfy these needs.
Moreover, the cooperation of Western countries in the production and supply of weapons for the Armed Forces sometimes can take quite interesting forms. For example, in late February 2024, the Netherlands was reported as ordering the latest DITA self-propelled guns for Ukraine — a newly developed howitzer for the first time presented in 2021, featuring full automation of all systems and firing processes.
Read more: Canada Contributes $76 mln to Germany's Effort to Supply Ukraine with Air Defense
