Europe in general and Ukraine in particular will benefit from major new military aid worth more than two billion dollars unveiled Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken made an unscheduled visit to the Ukraine capital Kyiv for the announcement.
In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, Blinken said the Biden administration would provide the $2 billion in long-term foreign military financing to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO members and regional security partners “most potentially at risk for future Russian aggression.”
AP reports the spending push follows a $675-million package of heavy weaponry, ammunition and armored vehicles for Ukraine alone Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier in the day at a conference in Germany.
That package includes howitzers, artillery munitions, Humvees, armored ambulances, anti-tank systems and more to add to previous U.S. contributions.
Kyiv has repeatedly urged its allies for more heavy weapons as it pursues its pushback against Russian forces.
Austin said “the war is at another key moment,” with Ukrainian forces beginning their counteroffensive in the south of the country.
He said “now we’re seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield,” the AP report outlined.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, third right, arrives to visit a children’s hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday Sept. 8, 2022 during his trip to Ukraine. Blinken on Thursday announced major new military aid worth more than 2 billion dollars for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
“The face of the war is changing and so is the mission of this contact group,” Austin told the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
That conference was attended by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine’s defense minister as well as officials from allied countries.
U.S. officials said the new commitments were intended to show American support for the country in the face of Russia’s invasion is unwavering.
The United States has been Ukraine’s biggest armaments supplier and general military aid backer.
Thursday’s cash contributions bring total U.S. taxpayer-funded aid to Ukraine to $15.2 billion since Biden took office.