US announces new $725m military assistance package for Ukraine - Al Jazeera English

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The caller assistance is aimed astatine restocking ammunition for precocious weapons systems utilized successful Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Published On 15 Oct 2022

The United States volition nonstop Ukraine an further $725m bundle of weapons and different subject assistance, the White House has said, arsenic Washington added to a flurry of assistance announcements from European allies this week amid Russia’s renewed rocket attacks connected Kyiv and different targets.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said successful a connection connected Friday that the assistance follows “in the aftermath of Russia’s brutal rocket attacks connected civilians crossed Ukraine”, and “the mounting grounds of atrocities by Russia’s forces”.

As Ukrainian “defenders propulsion backmost Russia’s forces”, the US stands agreed with Ukraine, Blinken said aboriginal successful a tweet.

Washington’s newest subject bundle includes much ammunition for HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) and brings the full US subject assistance to Ukraine to $18.3bn since the commencement of Joe Biden’s administration, the Department of Defence said successful a abstracted statement.

The US has sent 20 HIMARS to Ukraine and has promised 18 much that would beryllium delivered successful the coming years. HIMARS person proven to beryllium a captious weapon that has improved Ukraine’s quality to onslaught ammunition depots, bridges and different cardinal targets that erode Russia’s quality to resupply troops.

I person directed different drawdown of arms and instrumentality worthy $725 cardinal from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine, our 23rd drawdown since August 2021. As Ukraine’s defenders propulsion backmost Russia’s forces, the United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 15, 2022

Officials said the caller US bundle is mostly aimed astatine restocking thousands of rounds of ammunition for the weapons systems Ukraine has been successfully utilizing successful its counteroffensive against Russia, arsenic the warfare stretches into its eighth month.

Ukraine’s contiguous needs proceed to beryllium further aerial defences, the Department of Defense said successful a statement.

“The Russians person launched hundreds of rockets astatine the large Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian forces person had immoderate occurrence astatine shooting down the missiles, but they request much aerial defence capabilities,” the connection said.

A elder defence authoritative told reporters astatine the Pentagon that Russia had fired much than 80 missiles astatine Ukrainian targets during 1 caller 24-hour play and that Ukrainian aerial defences were capable to intercept astir fractional of them.

The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon the US appraisal of the war, said that the intercepts usage a batch of ammunition due to the fact that it is apt Ukrainians fired much than 1 circular astatine each incoming missile.

The US assistance announcement caps a drawstring of commitments from allies this week.

The United Kingdom said past week it would supply missiles for the precocious NASAM (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) the Pentagon plans to nonstop to Ukraine. The UK besides is sending hundreds of drones and 18 howitzer artillery guns.

Germany has sent the archetypal of 4 promised IRIS-T aerial defence systems; France pledged much artillery, anti-aircraft systems and missiles; the Netherlands said it would nonstop missiles and Canada is readying to nonstop wintertime equipment, drone cameras and outer communications.

The commitments travel arsenic Russia has intensified its attacks, hitting the Kyiv portion with kamikaze drones and firing missiles elsewhere astatine civilian targets, including a hospital, a kindergarten and different buildings successful the municipality of Nikopol, crossed the stream from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The attacks person been described arsenic Russian revenge for the bombing of the strategical Kerch Bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea. Kremlin warfare hawks person urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate the bombing run adjacent much to punish Ukraine for the caller motortruck weaponry onslaught connected the bridge.

Ukraine has not claimed work for the attack.

Russia’s surge successful rocket strikes besides represents an urgent effort by Moscow to regain its footing arsenic Ukraine’s fierce counteroffensive has taken backmost towns and territory Russia had overrun successful the earlier days of the war.