Topline
The U.S. will send an additional $600 million in military aid to Ukraine, Biden administration officials announced on Thursday, a move welcomed by Kyiv as it pushes to build on the successes of recent counter offensives but which draws renewed attention to unfulfilled promises of support from European governments and requests for long-range missile systems.
The U.S. announced another $600 million package of military support for Ukraine.
Key Facts
The package will provide Ukraine with more of the arms, munitions and equipment that have helped Kyiv push back Russian forces and reclaim large swathes of captured land, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken said the delivery has been “carefully calibrated” to make the most impact on the battlefield and to “strengthen Ukraine’s hand at the negotiating table.”
President Joe Biden has made it clear that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” Blinken added.
The shipment marks the 21st time the U.S. has pulled military supplies from Pentagon stores to aid Ukraine since September last year and brings the total value of U.S. military assistance to around $15.8 billion since Biden took office, Blinken said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the decision in a tweet Friday morning, saying that the country’s forces have “proved its efficiency on the front.”
“Together we’ll win,” Zelensky added.
Key Background
Ukrainian forces have recaptured large areas of occupied land and forced Russian troops to flee in a series of devastating counter offensives in recent weeks. The rapid gains, one of Ukraine’s most striking successes of the war, have been facilitated by military intelligence and weapons from its allies and the struggles of Russia’s military. While experts caution against calling the rapid progress a turning point in the war, Kyiv has been keen to press the advantage and re-upped calls for the U.S. to share advanced long-range missile systems. Moscow has warned that such equipment would cross a “red line” and drag the U.S. into the conflict and Washington has made it clear it has no intention of changing its strategy, which it believes is effective. Ukraine’s successes have also drawn new attention to unfulfilled promises for aid and waning support across Europe, which is dealing with a growing energy crisis and soaring costs of living stemming from the war. Ukrainian officials have singled out Germany in particular, accusing it of dragging out arms deliveries like it did with implementing sanctions against Russia’s economy.
Further Reading
Ukraine’s wins turn focus back on Europe’s waning military aid (Politico)
Blinken—On Surprise Visit To Kyiv—Announces $2 Billion In U.S. Military Aid For Ukraine (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/09/16/us-sends-ukraine-600-million-in-military-supplies-as-kyiv-pushes-on-stunning-counter-offensive/