US mulls providing $625mn arms package to Kyiv that includes long-range rocket systems
US announced plans to provide the war-torn nation an additional $625m in military assistance, part of which would go toward a more sophisticated rocket system
In a bid to help Ukraine combat the Russian war, the United States on Tuesday announced plans to provide the war-torn nation an additional $625 million in military assistance, part of which would go toward more sophisticated rocket systems, which are credited with giving the Ukrainian military advantage in its conflict with Russia.
As part of the $625 million arms deal, the US has pledged another four powerful rocket systems from its own inventory to Ukraine. According to CBS News, since July, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) have not been committed from existing US inventories till now.
According to the US Department of Defense, “an additional $625 million in security assistance headed to Ukraine as part of the 22nd round of presidential drawdown authority.” It further added that the new package’s equipment is specially designed to meet Ukraine’s immediate demands.
US’s arms package to Ukraine
Furthermore, four HIMARS and associated ammunition are a part of the most recent package. As per the Defense Department, the package also includes 1,000 155 mm rounds of remote anti-armor mine systems; 16 105 mm howitzers; 30,000 120 mm mortar rounds; 200 MaxxPro mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs; 16 M777 155 mm howitzers; 75,000 artillery rounds for the howitzers, as well as 500 M982 Excalibur precision-guided rounds; 200 000 rounds of ammunition for small guns; tools for setting up obstacles; and Claymore anti-personnel explosives.
Laura Cooper, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, said, “Ukraine has demonstrated the ability to use these capabilities to degrade Russian logistics and command and control, creating opportunities for Ukraine to maneuver and to advance,” as per the US Defence Department. She added, “This has created, as [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] said recently, a change in battlefield dynamics.”
In addition to this, since the commencement of Russia’s invasion on February 24, the US has contributed more than $16.8 billion to Ukraine, and Cooper predicted that more will follow.
President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris spoke with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
In the meantime, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a telephonic conversation with embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to inform him of the assistance, according to a readout provided by the White House. Biden and Harris claimed that the United States would never accept Russia’s “purported annexation of Ukrainian territory,” and will continue to provide help for Ukraine’s military.
Additionally, President Biden reaffirmed that the United States is ready to impose harsh penalties on any person, group, or nation that backs Russia’s alleged annexation. As per the readout, he welcomed the necessity of maintaining the agreement’s effectiveness in enabling the secure transfer of grain from Ukraine to international markets. Moreover, President Biden referred to the United States’ continued efforts to mobilise support for Ukraine’s attempts to protect its freedom and democracy, as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter.
