MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The United States has announced its latest military aid package containing critical capabilities for Ukraine.
The new security assistance package, which President Joe Biden signed Monday, is provided under previously exercised Presidential Drawdown Authority from Department of Defense stocks.
Valued at nearly $400 million, it includes Munitions for HIMARS; 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition; Mortars; M113 armored vehicle; Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles; Javelin missiles; AT-4 rockets; Satellite communications support; Ammunition for crew-served weapons; Small arms, grenades, and training equipment; Demolitions equipment and munitions; and Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin Announced the security assistance in an address at Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv.
It marked his fourth visit to Ukraine since taking office.
Austin underscored the imperative for countries around the globe to stand in defense of Ukraine's freedom and sovereignty.
Ukraine's security is vital to maintaining peace and stability throughout the globe, Austin said, adding that American values call on the U.S. to defend against Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault.
Since February 2022, the U.S. has provided more than $59.5 billion in critical assistance including air defense, artillery, armored vehicles and other critical munitions to Ukraine.
'Now, that is a very real financial commitment,' Austin said. 'But for anyone who thinks that American leadership is expensive - well, consider the price of American retreat. In the face of aggression, the price of principle is always dwarfed by the cost of capitulation.'
The secretary said due to the unprecedented international support, coupled with the bravery and ingenuity of Ukraine's frontline defenders, Russia has failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives and continues to incur heavy costs, 970 days since it launched its full-scale invasion.
Austin noted that Russian forces have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties since the start of the war and squandered more than $200 billion to sustain its invasion.
The U.S. defense chief held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv earlier in the day.
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