Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday and announced a new $400 million weapons package.
The Pentagon said that during the visit, Austin will “meet with Ukrainian leadership and underscore the US commitment to providing Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
Austin’s visit comes as Russian forces are taking back territory in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and continuing to make gains in eastern Ukraine. In the face of these advances, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled his so-called “Victory Plan,” which is essentially a list of demands for more military aid from his Western backers.
Zelensky is also asking for NATO to support long-range strikes inside Russian territory and for NATO countries to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine. But so far, those requests, which risk nuclear war, have been rejected by the US and NATO.
Despite no clear path for a Ukrainian victory, the US continues to fuel the proxy war with fresh weapons shipments. The $400 million arms package Austin announced will be provided through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the US to send weapons straight from US military stockpiles.
The Pentagon said in a press release that the package includes:
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
- 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortar systems and rounds
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
- M113 Armored Personnel Carriers
- Satellite communication equipment
- Small arms and ammunition
- Grenades and training equipment
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation
The Pentagon also released a fact sheet that said the US has committed $59.5 billion in weapons for Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022. Including other types of aid, the proxy war has cost US taxpayers at least $186 billion so far.
