Ammunition for HIMARS: US allocates new aid to Ukraine

Washington has not yet promised Kyiv long-range ammunition

The Biden administration continues to defiantly support Kyiv: the White House announced a package of measures “to ensure the security of Ukraine” during the UAF counteroffensive in the amount of $600 million.

On Thursday, the White House announced a $600 million package of “security measures” for Ukraine, providing the Ukrainian military with yet another aid during their operations against Russian forces, CNN reported.

According to a statement by United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the equipment allocated to Kyiv will be taken from existing stocks and US inventories and will include additional weapons, ammunition and equipment.

According to the Associated Press, this will be the 21st time that the Pentagon has removed weapons and other equipment from warehouse shelves for delivery to Ukraine.

“Together with our allies and partners, we are delivering the weapons and equipment that Ukrainian forces use so effectively,” Secretary of State Blinken said.

Washington considers the American assistance provided to Ukraine to be effective and, most likely, will not provide longer-range systems yet, CNN notes.

The new aid package for Kyiv includes additional munitions for Ukraine’s HIMARS systems. It also includes tens of thousands of conventional 105mm artillery rounds, 1,000 precision-guided 155mm rounds, and anti-missile systems. As winter approaches, the US is also delivering cold weather gear and more night vision goggles.

A week ago, the Pentagon announced another $675 million package that included additional ammunition for HIMARS as well as tens of thousands of artillery ammunition.

CNN reported that the US has decided not to send long-range ATACMS munitions to Ukraine for use with the HIMARS platform for the time being, despite repeated requests from Ukraine. ATACMS have a range of almost 200 miles (more than 300 km) and are capable of delivering strikes deep into Russian territory.

Pentagon officials said the HIMARS launchers, combined with the GMLRS, a munition with a range of about 40 miles (roughly 64 km), is what the United States should be focusing on in its delivery to Ukraine at this time.

As the Associated Press emphasizes, the decision to quickly provide a new tranche of aid to Kyiv — following an injection of almost $2.9 billion in aid and financial support announced last week and more than $3 billion announced in late August — highlights Washington’s intention to fully support the Ukrainian counteroffensive. forces.

Since the conflict began on February 24, the United States has provided $15.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, CNN recalls.