The United States has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $275 million, providing support as the war with Russia continues.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed the new aid package during the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Laos.
“Later today, the White House will be announcing additional security assistance for Ukraine worth up to $275 million to meet critical battlefield needs, and that will include munitions for rockets systems and artillery and anti-tank weapons,” Austin said Wednesday.
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The package includes a variety of weapons and equipment, including:
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
- 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds
- Unmanned aerial systems
- TOW missiles
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
- Small arms and ammunition
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear-protective equipment
The new aid package brings the total U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to over $64.1 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.S. has repeatedly utilized its presidential drawdown authority to expedite the delivery of weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles.
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Austin also announced Wednesday that the Biden administration will permit Ukraine to deploy American-supplied antipersonnel land mines as part of its defense against Russian forces. The policy shift comes in response to evolving Russian military strategies on the battlefield.
Speaking during a visit to Laos, Austin explained that Russian forces are increasingly relying on ground troops rather than heavily protected armored carriers. This shift has created a pressing need for tools to slow Russian advances.
“The land mines that we would look to provide them would be land mines that are not persistent, you know, we can control when they would self-activate, self-detonate, and that makes it, you know, far more safer eventually than the things that they are creating on their own,” Austin said.
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