The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced this Wednesday in Kiev new US aid to Ukraine “for a total of more than one billion dollars” (932 million euros) to face the Russian invasion.
“The United States is committed to giving Ukraine the means to write its own future (…) Today we announce new aid totaling more than one billion dollars,” he said during an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital.
The availability of the new financial aid package had already been announced to journalists by a senior State Department official at the beginning of the visit and has now been confirmed by Blinken, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his counterpart, Dmytro. Kuleba, as well as with the Prime Minister of the kyiv Executive, Denys Shmyhal.
The trip of the head of US diplomacy occurs at a time when Ukraine has been waging a counteroffensive for three months to retake territory from Russian forces, marked by slow progress despite the military support of Western allies, in the face of strong defensive barriers . lines of troops from Moscow, especially on the southern front.
“The progress of the ongoing counteroffensive has accelerated in recent weeks and this new help will help give it new impetus,” Blinken was quoted as saying by Agence France Presse, insisting on a message he had already left earlier in the day that the Ukrainian attack has visible progress and that its presence in Kiev is aimed at ensuring that Ukraine “has everything it needs”.
In addition to the new US financial aid package, the Pentagon announced Wednesday that it will supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition, effective against tanks and armored vehicles.
The 120mm ammunition is intended for US Abrams tanks and is part of a new tranche of military aid to Kiev worth 175 million dollars (163 million euros), the Pentagon said in a statement.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the latest UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the broader international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. political and economic.
Source: TSF
