US announces $820mn in additional security assistance for Ukraine

The US has announced $820 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine which includes advanced anti-aircraft and aerial defense systems as well as additional ammunition for advanced rocket systems, the Department of Defence (DOD) said in a statement.

Totaling $820 million, the new weapons came in two parts, according to the statement issued on Friday.

Aid worth $50 million, of which additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems is a part, will be drawn from the presidential drawdown authority that authorizes President Joe Biden to directly tap into existing American weapons inventories.

The remaining $770 million falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through which the US government contracts with arms manufacturers to make weapons for Ukraine.

In this part, the US will provide Ukraine with two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, 150,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition for the howitzers and four counter-artillery radars, the DOD said.

According to the Department, the US has now committed approximately $7.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration in January 2021, including approximately $6.9 billion since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Kiev on February 24.

The US has committed more than $8.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014.