The United States announced Thursday a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine in support of the difficult counter-offensive led since the beginning of June by Ukrainian forces against the Russian army.
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These approximately 150 million dollars mainly relate to anti-aircraft defense means, artillery ammunition and anti-tank weapons, according to a press release from the State Department.
“Ukrainian forces are courageously fighting to recapture territories seized by Russian forces, and this additional support will help them continue to advance,” assured American Secretary of State Antony Blinken quoted in the press release.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his counterpart Joe Biden and the American people on X (formerly Twitter) for this new aid.
“As winter approaches, it is essential to strengthen anti-aircraft defense to protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure,” said Mr. Zelensky, as Kyiv expects a new Russian campaign of massive bombings targeting energy infrastructure.
“I appreciate that the agreements we reached with President Biden are being implemented,” he added.
Ukraine launched a vast counter-offensive at the beginning of June to try to liberate the territories occupied by the Russian army in the East and the South. So far, progress has been very limited.
In total, Washington, which leads the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine militarily, has pledged more than $43 billion in military aid to Kyiv since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
Joe Biden also asked Congress for an additional $61.4 billion, of which $30 would be spent on weapons, to continue supporting the Ukrainian war effort.