US announces $820M in Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON – The U.S. announced Friday it will provide Ukraine with $820 million in new military aid, including new surface-to-air missile systems and counterartillery radars to respond to Russia's heavy reliance on long-range strikes in the war.
Russia in recent days has launched dozens of missiles across Ukraine and has at times pinned down Ukrainian forces with continuous fire for hours. Ukraine's leaders have publicly called on Western allies to quickly send more ammunition and advanced systems that will help them narrow the gap in equipment and manpower.
All told, the U.S. has committed more than $8.8 billion in weapons and military training to Ukraine, whose leaders have sought more help from Western allies to repel larger and heavily equipped Russian forces. About $7 billion of that aid has been announced since Russia's February invasion.
“We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” President Joe Biden said this week at a news conference during the NATO summit in Madrid. He argued that Russia had suffered a blow to its international standing and major damage to its economy from Western sanctions imposed over the invasion.
The U.S. is giving Ukrainians “the capacity” so that “they can continue to resist the Russian aggression,” Biden said.
“And so I don't know how it's going to end, but it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine.”
As part of the new package, the U.S. will purchase two systems known as NASAMS, a Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft system that is used to protect the airspace around the White House and Capitol in Washington.
The Pentagon will also provide the Ukrainians with up to 150,000 rounds of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition.