The United States plans to announce a $425 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes counter drone rockets and munitions.
“The United States is expected to deliver $425 million in new military aid to Ukraine for its fight against Russia, including about $300 million in long-term funding to buy laser-guided munitions designed to take out drones, U.S. officials said Thursday.
According to officials, the long-term money will be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts for larger weapons systems that need to be either built or modified by defense companies.
The weapons will include munitions for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), as well as artillery rounds, anti-tank missiles, demolition equipment and cold weather gear.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been publicly announced. An announcement is expected on Friday.
This would be the 50th package of aid pulled from Pentagon shelves and it resembles an aid package about a week ago that was for $150 million.
The smaller totals for the drawdowns come as Pentagon funding for the Ukraine war shrinks.
The aid is meant to provide Ukrainian forces with more cold-weather gear and munitions to help carry on the fight against Russian forces into the winter months. Both sides have been trading airstrikes and drone attacks, including in the southeast”. -Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee, Associated Press
The Pentagon has sent approximately $44 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since February of 2022.
Though Ukraine has been unable to gain any significant territory in its counteroffensive that was launched back in June while suffering extensive casualties, U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine has remained constant, as a majority of Republican lawmakers have continued to vote in favor of the Ukrainian funding despite a number of them having expressed some level of skepticism toward providing additional military assistance as the war in Europe drags on.
However, the further erosion of support for Kiev in the United States is seemingly unpreventable, as it would be in the best interests of both Tel Aviv and Taipei to encourage a settlement on the Russo-Ukrainian war front in order to permit the military forces of the West to concentrate on the Middle East and Southeast Asia rather than predominantly on Ukraine.