The United States of America (USA) announced this Wednesday in Brussels a new support package for Ukraine worth $200 million, which includes artillery ammunition, long-range missiles and anti-tank weapons.
“I am proud that the United States just announced its latest security assistance package for Ukraine, valued at $200 million. [cerca de 189 milhões de euros]”, announced the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, at the beginning of a meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, at the headquarters of the Atlantic Alliance.
Lloyd Austin explained that the military assistance package includes “AIM-9M ammunition for a new air defense system that Ukraine will soon receive, as well as artillery and rocket ammunition, precision aerial ammunition, Russian anti-tank and counter-drone weapons. “
The US Secretary of Defense dismissed any remaining uncertainty: “There is no doubt about it. The United States will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.”
Lloyd Austin added that the United States, together with the countries that make up the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, are ready to make weapons available “as necessary, for as long as necessary, so that Ukraine can live in freedom ” and defeat “Russia’s blatant aggression.”
Lloyd Austin revealed that with this new package, total US aid since the “start of Putin’s war” amounted to $43.9 billion (more than €41 billion).
The group of 50 countries that make up the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine – the so-called Ramstein group – has made available since the beginning of the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, a total of 33 billion dollars ( more than 30 billion euros).
“We need to hurry and give Ukraine what it needs to meet current challenges, while continuing to develop Ukraine’s combat capabilities to protect us from future dangers,” the US minister added.
The announcement made by Lloyd Austin to the allies and the president of Ukraine himself, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in Brussels today to participate in meetings at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), alleviates the uncertainty that existed about the maintenance of American support. .
The doubt arose after the compromise reached in the North American Congress to avoid a shutdown of the federal government excluded support for Ukraine.
At the same time, more and more voices, especially within the Republican Party, are speaking out against the money and weapons that Washington is making available to kyiv.
Former US President Donald Trump (who belongs to the Republican Party), and predecessor of Democrat Joe Biden in the White House, is one of the voices that has questioned aid to kyiv.
Joe Biden has also expressed his concern about the expansion of aid, but the statements of his Secretary of Defense seem to put an end to the uncertainty, which even provoked calls from NATO’s European partners.
Source: TSF
