US announces additional $725M in security aid for Ukraine

WASHINGTON

The US announced Friday an additional $725 million in security assistance for Ukraine's defense needs.

The announcement came days after Russia conducted airstrikes across Ukraine.

"This authorization is the Biden Administration's 23rd drawdown of equipment from DoD (Department of Defense) inventories for Ukraine since August 2021," according to a statement by the Pentagon.

"The United States has delivered unprecedented security assistance to Ukraine and will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure Ukraine has the support it needs," it added.

The new package includes additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 23,000 artillery rounds, 500 precision-guided artillery rounds, 5,000 rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems, 5,000 anti-tank weapons, high-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs), more than 200 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), small arms and more than 2,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and medical supplies.

The US has committed more than $18.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine Since January 2021 and has allocated over $20.3 billion since 2014.

Moscow has targeted several Ukrainian cities in airstrikes following an Oct. 8 blast on a strategic bridge linking Russia to Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014, drawing widespread international condemnation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Kyiv for what he called a “terrorist attack” on the Kerch Bridge.