:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/D6GJB6T2OBS4YNFXK6N7P2FJ3E.jpg "Pentagon announces security assistance package for Ukraine")
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Friday announced a new long-term security assistance program for Ukraine, a year after the Russian invasion. He committed $2 billion to send more munitions and a variety of small, high-tech drones to Ukraine.
The announcement comes just days after US President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv and pledged continued US engagement with Ukraine. Biden told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people that “Americans are with you and the world is with you.”
In a statement on Friday, the Pentagon said the aid includes weapons to counter Russian unmanned systems and various types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as military-grade electronic detection equipment.
It also includes funds for additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery launch systems, artillery shells, and ammunition for laser-guided missile systems. However, in an unusual move, the Pentagon did not provide details on how many cartridges of any type will be purchased. Including this latest package, the United States has committed more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the anniversary of the Russian invasion is an opportunity for all of us who believe in freedom “to recommit ourselves to supporting the brave defenders of Ukraine on the term and to remind us that Russia’s stakes in the war extend far beyond Ukraine.”
Biden had planned to meet virtually with other Group of Seven leaders and Zelensky on Friday “to continue to coordinate our efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its war,” the White House said.
These efforts include what the White House called “broad” sanctions against more than 200 individuals and entities “to further degrade Russia’s economy and diminish its ability to wage war on Ukraine.” The Biden administration will further restrict exports to Russia and increase tariffs on certain Russian products imported into the United States.