The US has approved a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes air defense munitions, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons and demining equipment.
This was announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken via his official Twitter handle.
Blinken said, “Today we are announcing deliveries of $200 million worth of arms and equipment for Ukraine. Air defense, anti-armor, and munitions will keep the Ukrainian armed forces in the fight to defend their country’s sovereignty, territory, and people.”
The 44th tranche of U.S. weapons support for Ukraine includes ammunition for Patriots and HIMARS, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, 120mm tank ammunition, Javelin anti-tank systems, TOW anti-tank missiles, and other anti-tank munitions and systems.
Monday’s announcement comes as the war in Ukraine approaches its 18-month anniversary and Kyiv continues its counter-offensive in the east of the country, fighting to liberate towns occupied by Russian forces.
“Every day, Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civil infrastructure, while also weaponizing hunger and contributing to global food insecurity through its destruction of Ukraine’s civilian ports and grain infrastructure,” linken said in a statement Monday.
The latest package comes after the Pentagon discovered an accounting error had led to the over-valuation of previously dispatched tranches of military aid by about $6.2 million.
The DoD said the error stemmed from analysts over-estimating the price of used weapons sent from US stocks, mistakenly tallying their prices as if they were newly minted equipment.
“The security assistance package will utilize assistance previously authorized under presidential drawdown authority for Ukraine that remained after the PDA reevaluation process concluded in June.
“The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements,” the Defense Department added on Monday.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then