Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted his Ukrainian counterpart in Washington on Tuesday and said the US would soon announce a $2.3 billion weapons package for Ukraine.
“I am proud that the United States will soon announce more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine,” Austin said alongside Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Austin said the package would include air defense inceptors, anti-tank weapons, and other munitions. It will be provided through Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the US to ship weapons directly from Pentagon stockpiles.
The Pentagon chief also vowed that the US would continue supporting Ukraine and fueling the proxy war. “Ukraine is not alone, and the United States will never waver in our support. Alongside some 50 allies and partners, we’ll continue to provide the critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to push back Russian aggression today and to deter Russian aggression tomorrow,” he said.
Austin’s meeting with Umerov comes about a week before the US will host a NATO summit in Washington from July 8 to July 11. Umerov said he hoped Ukraine would be invited to join NATO soon.
“We look forward to discussing with you how we could continue our partnership and be, in the future, a member of NATO. Hopefully soon, Ukraine will receive its invitation,” Umerov said.
There’s no indication that NATO will extend a formal invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance anytime soon. A bilateral security deal President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed in June repeated a vague promise made at NATO’s Vilinius summit last year that Ukraine would get an invite to join “when Allies agree and conditions are met.”
