Nov. 3 (UPI) — The Biden administration said Friday the Department of Defense is sending another $425 million assistance package to Ukraine that includes both immediate battlefield equipment and money to strengthen its air defenses.
“This includes the drawdown of security assistance from DoD inventories valued at up to $125 million to meet Ukraine’s immediate battlefield needs, as well as $300 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses over the long term,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
This is the fiftieth tranche of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
This latest package includes additional munitions and ammunition for NASAMS surface-to-air missiles, HIMARS, artillery and Javelin munitions, as well as AT-4 anti-armor weapons.
Also included are more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, guided TOW missiles, Claymore mines, cold-weather gear, spare parts, maintenance and other field equipment, as well as 12 trucks to transport heavy equipment.
In addition, $300 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative assistance provided under the Continuing Resolution Congress passed, but this exhausts that fund.
The Biden administration called on Congress to “meet its commitment to the people of Ukraine by passing additional funding to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice.”
The administration said Friday that to date, “Our allies and partners have stepped up to provide approximately $35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Under the leadership of the United States, this global coalition has enabled Ukraine’s courageous forces to successfully defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and take back more than half of the territory seized by Russian invaders.”
