US announces $200 million military aid package for Ukraine
The U.S. has announced a $200 million military aid package for Ukraine, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS, as well as other support, the Pentagon said on Aug. 14.
"Air defense, anti-armor, and munitions will keep the Ukrainian armed forces in the fight to defend their country's sovereignty, territory, and people," U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken tweeted.
The 44th tranche of U.S. weapons support for Ukraine includes ammunition for Patriots and HIMARS, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, 120mm tank ammunition, Javelin anti-tank systems, TOW anti-tank missiles, and other anti-tank munitions and systems.
The Pentagon has further pledged 37 logistics vehicles, 58 water trailers, over 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, mine clearing equipment, explosives for clearing obstacles, spare parts, and other field equipment.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Aug. 8 that next to this latest package, the U.S. is considering the transfer of new missiles and defense systems to Ukraine. The spokesperson did respond to a question about whether these new systems include the much-anticipated long-range ATACMS missiles.
The new funds will be allocated thanks to the $6.2 billion "accounting error" discovered in June. According to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, the U.S. Defense Department overestimated the value of arms sent to Ukraine over the past two years by $6.2 billion, freeing up additional funds for Ukraine military aid.
The U.S. announced its previous package for Ukraine worth $400 million on July 25, including additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems, NASAMS, HIMARS, as well as Stingers, Javelins, and other weapons.
Dinara Khalilova
