United States Approves $150 Million in Assistance to Ukraine

The U.S. Department of Defense approved the second part of security assistance to Ukraine totalling $150 million.

“The new $150 million package for Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukrainian forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve NATO interoperability,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine posted on Twitter.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this information on his Twitter page and thanked the White House for its important contribution to strengthening the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian army and saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

As the U.S. Department of Defense noted, the package includes the provision of counter-artillery radars, counter unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases.

These capabilities complement the $125 million USAI package announced on 1 March 2021 that included armed Mark VI patrol boats, counter-artillery radars, tactical equipment, support for satellite imagery and analysis capability, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures.

As a reminder, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the other day that the supply of German-made weapons to Ukraine could have a negative impact on negotiations with Russia on holding meetings in the Normandy format.

According to Maas, the German authorities want to continue to help Ukraine to develop its economy and boost the welfare of citizens.

In an interview with the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on 1 June, President Zelensky said that Germany could provide Ukraine with missile and patrol boats, assault rifles, radio-electronic equipment, and other weapons.

Bohdan Marusyak