Blinken Announces $700 Million in New Aid for Ukraine

The State Department says some of the aid will help repair Ukraine's battered energy infrastructure

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kyiv and announced $700 million in fresh aid for Ukraine, including funds for repairing the country’s battered energy infrastructure.

Blinken made the announcement alongside his British counterpart, David Lammy, who also pledged the UK would be providing $782 million in humanitarian assistance and loan guarantees through the World Bank.

According to the State Department, $325 million of the new US aid will go toward supporting “Ukraine’s energy infrastructure efforts in the midst of ongoing Russian attacks.” Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure recently escalated in response to the Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Vitaliy Shabunin as he arrives to attend an event in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 11, 2024. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS

The State Department said $290 million will go toward “humanitarian assistance,” and $102 million will be spent on demining. The US has played a major role in leaving behind unexploded ordnances in Ukraine by providing the Ukrainian military with cluster bombs, which are banned by over 100 countries due to their indiscriminate nature.

Last week, the Pentagon announced a new $250 million weapons package for Ukraine, which brought the total amount of military equipment the US has committed to Ukraine since the Russian invasion to $59.9 billion. Once the $61 billion President Biden authorized to spend on Ukraine in April, the US will have spent about $186 billion on the proxy war.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.