The Department of Defense announced a new military aid package worth approximately $2 billion on Friday, which coincides with the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The new aid package brings the total amount of military aid the United States has provided to Ukraine to roughly $32 billion. Highlights include unmanned aerial systems, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and electronic warfare detection equipment, according to a readout from the department. More specifically, the package includes CyberLux K8 UAS, Switchblade 600 UAS, Altius-600 UAS, and Jump 20 UAS. It also includes additional ammunition stocks.
TIMELINE OF RUSSIA'S YEARLONG WAR IN UKRAINE
"In response to the most urgent danger to European security since the end of World War II, we have moved swiftly with our allies to further unify and strengthen NATO," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. "NATO is more united than ever, and the U.S. commitment to defend every inch of allied territory remains ironclad."
It is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which means the Pentagon is contracting U.S. defense companies to provide Ukraine with newly made equipment instead of it coming from current stockpiles.
The department announced its most recent aid package this past Monday, valued at $460 million. President Joe Biden first announced the package, which came in the form of a drawdown from U.S. stockpiles, during his surprise and stealth visit to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Biden, in comments with Zelensky and again during a speech in Warsaw, Poland, declared his continued support for Kyiv while celebrating Ukraine's ability to defend its territory and the West's unity and aid for them.
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"Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. As you know, Mr. President, I said to you at the beginning, he’s counting on us not sticking together. He was counting on the inability to keep NATO united. He was counting on us not to be able to bring in others on the side of Ukraine," Biden said alongside Zelensky. "He thought he could outlast us. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now."
These aid packages still do not include Ukraine's continued requests for fighter jets and long-range weapons, which Biden has refused to give them so far. There are lawmakers from both parties who support providing Ukraine with these weapon systems and those who think aid should be reduced.