The US officially announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Wednesday worth $700 million, including long-range rocket systems.
“This new package will arm [Ukraine] with new capabilities and advanced weaponry, including HIMARS with battlefield munitions, to defend their territory from Russian advances,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We will continue to lead the world in providing historic assistance to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” he added.
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Senior Biden administration officials told reporters on Tuesday that Ukraine pledged not to strike inside Russia with the advanced rocket systems from the US. According to the officials, the new rocket systems will be able to hit targets up to 48 miles away.
The Pentagon said the latest aid was part of the eleventh drawdown of equipment from US Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. It will include:
- High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition
- Five counter-artillery radars
- Two air surveillance radars
- 1,000 Javelins and 50 Command Launch Units
- 6,000 anti-armor weapons
- 15,000 155mm artillery rounds
- Four Mi-17 helicopters
- 15 tactical vehicles
- Spare parts and equipment
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters that four HIMAR systems would be sent to Ukraine at first and that training on these systems would take three weeks.
The Pentagon said this drawdown has brought the total amount of committed US military aid for Ukraine to around $5.3 billion since Biden took office.
Approximately $4.6 billion of the aid was pledged since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the people of Ukraine were continuing to fight to defend a democratic UKraine that is free to determine its own future. “The United States, together with our Allies and partners, will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said in a statement.
Read more: Pentagon says Russia making ‘incremental gains’ inside Ukraine
