US announces new military aid package for Ukraine

The United States has decided to allocate a new $250 million military aid package to Ukraine, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. Relevant statement published his office.

Blinken specified that the new package contains funds that will help Ukraine on the battlefield. The package includes AIM-9M missiles for air defense, ammunition for highly mobile artillery missile systems, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, mine clearance equipment, Javelin and other anti-tank systems and missiles, more than 3 million rounds of small arms, ambulances, demining ammunition, spare parts, as well as services, training and transport.

On August 18, The Washington Post reported that some members of Congress from the Republican Party opposed the provision of additional assistance to Ukraine. They questioned its expediency after intelligence questioned the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the counteroffensive. Another part of the Republicans and most Democrats criticized the Joe Biden administration for insufficient assistance.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of military aid to Ukraine and pointed to the growing direct and indirect involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian army in Ukraine is opposed to “virtually the entire military machine of the collective West.”