On Wednesday, Lloyd Austin, the Defence Secretary, said that the United States will deliver a new $200 million military assistance package for Ukraine, as opposition from hardline Republican lawmakers puts future assistance for Ukraine in doubt.
Alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the opening of a meeting of Kyiv’s international supporters in Brussels, Austin said, “I’m proud that the United States will announce its latest security assistance package for Ukraine, valued at $200 million.”
The US defense chief said that the aid package includes air defense munitions, artillery and rocket ammunition, and anti-tank weapons, among additional items.
It is the first package announced since Congress dropped new funding for Ukraine earlier this month from a bill to prevent a US government shutdown — a move that called into doubt the US continued commitment to assisting Ukraine’s battle against raiding Russian forces.
Austin nonetheless urged on Wednesday that Washington “will stand with Kyiv for as long as it takes.”
Even in the absence of additional measures by Congress, the US government still has the authority to withdraw more than $5 billion in equipment for Ukraine from American military stocks.
There is only, however, $1.6 billion in remaining funding to replace donated gear, and it is not clear if the US will provide aid to Ukraine that makes cracks it cannot immediately fill.
The US has provided more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 — more than half of all international security aid for Ukraine.
