US to provide additional $2.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US announced Friday that it will be providing a further $2.1 billion to Ukraine for long-term weapons in its fight against Russia’s invasion, the Associated Press reports. The US has supported Ukraine with extensive military aid and other forms of assistance but has repeatedly asserted it will not send American soldiers to fight this war.

The latest aid package is intended to be spent on additional Patriot missile battery munitions, Hawk air defense systems and missiles, Puma drones that can be launched by hand, munitions for laser-guided rockets, artillery rounds, and funding for training and maintenance support. AP reports.

The aid will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and is intended to cover Ukraine’s military and security needs over the coming months or even years, AP said.

“The latest infusion of funding, one of the larger packages the U.S. has provided, comes as there are signs that Ukraine is beginning — or about to begin — the much-anticipated counteroffensive to try to take back territory that has been seized by Russia,” AP noted in its report.

In a statement, the US Defense Department said the new package represents the Biden administration’s commitment “to both Ukraine’s critical near-term capabilities as well as the enduring capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term.”

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