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| Photo Credit: AP. |
The United States is donating additional $1 billion in high precision rockets and other weapons to Ukraine to help the country better defend itself against continued Russian aggression.
On Monday the Biden administration announced renewed supply of weapons and ammunitions to Ukraine forces defending their country against Russian invasion.
Russia is
reportedly moving troops and equipment towards the southern port cities to
prevent a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
What new weapons is the U.S. supplying Ukraine?
Some of the
latest weaponry includes additional rockets for the High Mobility Artillery
Rocket Systems or HIMARS, thousands of artillery rounds, mortar systems,
Javelins and other ammunition and equipment, The Associated Press reports. The
HIMARS and artillery systems have helped Ukraine to turn around the tide of the
war, preventing Russia from conquering new territories, according to military
commanders and some U.S. officials.
The
Associated Press reported that the latest weaponry brings the total U.S.
security assistance committed to Ukraine by the Biden administration to over $9
billion since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade
Ukraine on February 24, 2021.
“At every stage of this conflict, we have been
focused on getting the Ukrainians what they need, depending on the evolving
conditions on the battlefield,” Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for
policy, said in announcing the new weapons shipment, according to The
Associated Press.
How fast will the U.S. deliver the weapons to Ukraine?
The latest
weapons are sourced from the Defense Department shelves and could translate to
faster deliveries.
Kahl
estimated that Russian forces have sustained up to 80,000 deaths and injuries
in the Ukraine war without giving further details.
The defense official said Russian troops have gained “incremental” ground in eastern Ukraine but not in recent weeks.
“But that
has come at extraordinary cost to the Russian military because of how well the
Ukrainian military has performed and all the assistance that the Ukrainian
military has gotten. And I think now, conditions in the east have essentially
stabilized and the focus is really shifting to the south.”
Is the U.S. providing more HIMARS to Ukraine?
The new package covers rockets but not more HIMARS even though the U.S. has provided 16 HIMARS to Ukraine in recent times.
“These are
not systems that we assess you need in the hundreds to have the type of
effects” needed, Kahl said, in response to questions about why the U.S. wasn’t
sending more of the powerful rocket systems, according to The Associated Press.
“These are precision-guided systems for very particular types of targets and
the Ukrainians are using them as such.”
The U.S. and
its allies may be considering the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine, Kahl
noted, saying It’s “not inconceivable that western aircraft down the road could
be part of the mix,” he said.