JULY 30, 2024 – The Defense Department yesterday announced a security assistance package for Ukraine as it continues its fight to counter Russia’s invasion.
The package includes up to $200 million of equipment drawn from DOD inventories under the presidential drawdown authority and approximately $1.5 billion in assistance authorized under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
The package marks the 62nd drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine from DOD inventories and 20th tranche authorized under USAI.
It includes air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket and artillery systems and antitank weapons. The USAI package also includes funding to sustain equipment previously provided by the U.S.
The U.S. has provided more than $55.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion in February 2022.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has continued to reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine and has led an international coalition of dozens of allies committed to Ukraine’s immediate and long-term security.
“Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone,” Austin said during a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon earlier this month.
“The United States will never waver, and our support alongside some 50 allies and partners will continue to provide the critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to push back Russian aggression today and to deter Russian aggression tomorrow,” he said.
That same commitment to Ukraine’s success was echoed among NATO allies as the alliance marked its 75th anniversary at the NATO Summit in Washington earlier this month.
During the summit, member states advanced a range of initiatives to further strengthen the alliance and take steps to advance the support of Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, as well as Ukraine’s long-term bridge to membership in the alliance.
Those initiatives include the standup of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine initiative which will coordinate equipment, training and force development for Ukraine as it advances on its path to full interoperability with NATO. The effort will be based in Germany and carried out in countries throughout the alliance.
President Joe Biden also announced during the summit that more than 20 countries, together with the European Council and European Union further affirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s long-term defense and security by endorsing the Ukraine Compact.
“What happens to Ukraine matters,” Biden said in announcing the compact. “It matters to all of Europe. It matters to NATO. Quite frankly, [it] matters to the whole world. We’re united against Putin’s senseless brutal war. We are united behind Ukraine as it fights to defend its freedom and its future.”
By Joseph Clark, DOD News