DECEMBER 8, 2024 – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced yesterday nearly $1 billion in additional security assistance to help Ukraine bolster its combat power amid Russia’s continued aggression.
The $988 million package of new equipment, provisioned under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, includes unmanned aerial systems, rocket munitions and support for maintenance and repair programs.
It marks the 22nd USAI package issued under the Biden administration, bringing the total of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to more than $62 billion.
Austin announced the new package during his address at the Reagan National Defense Forum hosted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California, where he underscored the imperative for the United States and its global network of allies to continue to stand resolute in helping Ukraine defend itself.
The secretary added that the U.S. has consistently made its choice to stand with Ukraine clear.
Since April 2022, Austin has continued to rally the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a global network of some 50 partners committed to Ukraine’s near-term battlefield needs and its long-term ability to deter future aggression.
“I’ve convened the contact group 24 times now,” Austin said. “Its other members have committed more than $57 billion in direct security assistance to Ukraine.
He added that, as a percentage of gross domestic product, more than a dozen UDCG members now provide more security assistance to Ukraine than the U.S. does.
“And together, we have helped Ukraine survive an all-out assault by the largest military in Europe,” he said.
Russia, the secretary said, has paid a “staggering price” for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression.
Austin noted that Russia has suffered at least 700,000 casualties and squandered more than $200 billion since its invasion of Ukraine.
And Putin’s aggression has only served to further unite and strengthen NATO, Austin said, adding that “we continue to be crystal clear that Putin’s war was not the result of NATO enlargement but the cause of NATO enlargement.”
He said Russia’s assault on Ukraine has served as a warning to the rest of the world not to let unprovoked aggression go unchecked.
“As I said in Kyiv in October, we are seeing ‘a sneak preview of a world built by tyrants and thugs — a chaotic world, violent world carved into spheres of influence; a world where bullies trample their smaller neighbors; and a world where aggressors force free people to live in fear,'” Austin said.
“So, we can continue to stand up to the Kremlin, or we can let Putin have his way — and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a world of chaos and conflict,” he said.
By Joseph Clark, DOD News