IRIA News

The United States has announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine of about $3 billion as the country marks its 31st anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union and also nears the six-month mark of the war.

U.S. President Joe Biden said this was the biggest tranche of security assistance to date for Ukraine provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The approximately $2.98 billion in military aid “will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems, and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term”, Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

The package was announced on Wednesday as Ukraine celebrates its independence day. Biden congratulated the people of Ukraine on behalf of all Americans and said that “I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks. But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country, and in their thirty-one years of independence.” He said that the United States looked forward to continuing to celebrate Ukraine as a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous state for decades to come.

The latest military assistance would utilize funds from the USAI appropriated by Congress to allow the Biden administration to procure weapons from industry rather than taking weapons from existing U.S. weapons stocks, according to reports.

Officials said that the latest military package will include small, hand-launched Puma drones, the longer-endurance Scan Eagle surveillance drones, and, the British Vampire drone system for the first time. The new assistance is aimed at helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture. Previous shipments largely focused on Ukraine’s more immediate needs for weapons and ammunition.

Overall, the United States has committed around $10.6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Biden since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on February 24.

Recent U.S. military assistance for Ukraine

On August 19, the Biden administration announced a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine worth $775 million after the largest security assistance package of $1 billion was released on August 8. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, had said that $1 billion package “provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons and equipment — the types of which the Ukrainian people are using so effectively to defend their country.” 

One type of munition the United States recently sent to Ukraine for use in the HIMARS is the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System or GMLRS, which are precision-guided system with a range of about 70km.

The latest $775 million security package includes:

• Additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
• Sixteen 105 mm howitzers, along with 36,000 rounds for the artillery. The United Kingdom has supplied 105 mm howitzers to Ukraine
• 15 ScanEagle unmanned aerial systems for reconnaissance
• Mine clearing systems, including 40 MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles with mine rollers, that will allow Ukraine to neutralize areas heavily mined by Russia
• Additional high-speed, anti-radiation HARM missiles for integration into Ukrainian aircraft to seek and destroy Russian radars
• 1,500 tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missiles, known as TOWs
• 1,000 Javelin anti-armor systems
• 2,000 anti-armor rounds to be used in existing anti-armor systems, many of which have been provided by partners such as the Carl Gustaf weapon developed by Sweden.
• Other security assistance includes 50 Humvees, tactical secure communication systems, demolition munitions, night vision devices, optics and laser rangefinders, and thermal imagery systems.

Europe to strengthen military support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also reaffirmed the alliance’s support for the conflict-torn country. “Winter is coming, and it will be hard, and what we see now is a grinding war of attrition … We must sustain our support for Ukraine for the long term so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation,” Stoltenberg said. He added that the NATO allies are committed to a long-term partnership with Ukraine, adding that “We will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to NATO-standard equipment, continue your defense and security sector reform, and help you on the path of post-war reconstruction”.

Germany plans to deliver further arms, including air-defense systems, rocket launchers, and precision munitions, to Ukraine worth over $500 million.