The United States announced a new military aid program for Ukraine for $2,000 million a year after the Russian invasion

The United States announced a new program of assistance to Ukraine for $2 billion in the form of orders to its defense industry, a year after the start of the Russian invasion.

The new aid, which does not come from US military reserves and will therefore take several months to reach kyiv, includes additional ammunition for Himars artillery and rocket systemsas well as droneas the Pentagon reported in a statement.

It also does not include other military equipment requested by the Ukrainian military, such as fighter jets and long-range missiles.

The United States, Ukraine’s largest donor, has already delivered or pledged over $32 billion in various types of weapons in kyiv since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, 2022, the Secretary of Defense stressed, Lloyd Austin.

Other Ukrainian allies have unlocked more than 20,000 million dollars in total, the official said.

Vladimir Putin “thought that Ukraine’s defenses would crumble, America’s resolve would weaken and the world would look the other way. He was wrong,” Lloyd added.

“A year later, Ukraine’s brave defenders have not wavered, nor has our resolve to support them for as long as it takes.”

Over the months, the Americans have intensified their military assistance towards heavier and more sophisticated equipment. First anti-tank missiles, then precision artillery batteries, light armor, and finally Abrams heavy tanks.

During a surprise visit to kyiv on Monday, the American president Joe Bidenannounced another tranche of aid for $500 millionincluding artillery ammunition and anti-armour systems from US Army stocks, and therefore readily available.

There illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a year this Friday in which the former Soviet republic put up fierce resistance to Russian troops and, with Western backing, inflicted unexpected setbacks on Vladimir Putin’s forces.

The Russians entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022starting on worst conflict on European soil since the end of World War II.

Twelve months later, many Ukrainian cities are in ruins, part of the country lives under Russian occupation and the death toll and wounded on each side exceeds 150,000according to Western estimates.

During this Friday, ceremonies will take place in cities symbolic of the suffering of war, such as loofahon the outskirts of Kyivtheater of a massacre of civilians attributed to Russian forces.

(With information from AFP)

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