Blinken: Western military aid to Ukraine reached $40 billion

Military assistance from Western countries to Ukraine has reached a total of $40 billion, and the West will continue to support Kyiv. This statement was made by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

“NATO allies and partners have provided $40 billion in arms assistance to Ukraine, further [помощь]”, – he said (quote by RIA Novosti).

On November 29-30, a meeting of NATO foreign ministers took place in Bucharest. The day before, November 29, during his speech, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared about the “colossal damage” from missile strikes on Ukraine. He added that NATO intends to provide additional assistance to Kyiv.

In addition, Stoltenberg and Blinken separately discussed issues of defense and assistance to Kyiv before the meeting in Bucharest, the US State Department said. After the ministerial meeting, Blinken reported that Washington highlight more than $53 million for the purchase of equipment for power grids for Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the adopted statement following the meeting in Bucharest confirms the fact that NATO does not want a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. “The wording contained in the document indicates that NATO is absolutely not interested in a political and diplomatic solution in Ukraine,” stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Russia’s special operation in Ukraine began on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the protection of the inhabitants of Donbass, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, its goals.

In response, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia and began to provide military assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of Western weapons to Kyiv. Back in April, Moscow sent a note of protest to all countries, including the United States, over military aid to Ukraine.

After the start of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure, the White House stressed that they would continue to provide support to Ukraine “as much as needed.” November 23 US President Joe Biden instructed to allocate additional military assistance to Kyiv in the amount of up to $400 million. On November 29, the US State Department clarified that since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, support allocated by Washington to Kyiv has reached almost $32 billion, including $145 million went to restore energy infrastructure.

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