The brand new assist is aimed toward restocking ammunition for superior weapons methods utilized in Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
The US will ship Ukraine an extra $725m package deal of weapons and different navy help, the White Home has mentioned, as Washington added to a flurry of assist bulletins from European allies this week amid Russia’s renewed missile assaults on Kyiv and different targets.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in a press release on Friday that the help follows “within the wake of Russia’s brutal missile assaults on civilians throughout Ukraine”, and “the mounting proof of atrocities by Russia’s forces”.
As Ukrainian “defenders push again Russia’s forces”, the US stands united with Ukraine, Blinken mentioned later in a tweet.
Washington’s latest navy package deal consists of extra ammunition for HIMARS (Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket Programs) and brings the entire US navy help to Ukraine to $18.3bn for the reason that begin of Joe Biden’s administration, the Division of Defence mentioned in a separate assertion.
The US has despatched 20 HIMARS to Ukraine and has promised 18 extra that might be delivered within the coming years. HIMARS have confirmed to be a crucial weapon that has improved Ukraine’s potential to strike ammunition depots, bridges and different key targets that erode Russia’s potential to resupply troops.
I’ve directed one other drawdown of arms and tools price $725 million from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine, our twenty third drawdown since August 2021. As Ukraine’s defenders push again Russia’s forces, the US stands #UnitedWithUkraine.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 15, 2022
Officers mentioned the brand new US package deal is essentially aimed toward restocking hundreds of rounds of ammunition for the weapons methods Ukraine has been efficiently utilizing in its counteroffensive in opposition to Russia, because the conflict stretches into its eighth month.
Ukraine’s instant wants proceed to be further air defences, the Division of Protection mentioned in a press release.
“The Russians have launched a whole bunch of rockets on the main Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian forces have had some success at taking pictures down the missiles, however they want extra air defence capabilities,” the assertion mentioned.
A senior defence official advised reporters on the Pentagon that Russia had fired greater than 80 missiles at Ukrainian targets throughout one current 24-hour interval and that Ukrainian air defences had been capable of intercept about half of them.
The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the US evaluation of the conflict, mentioned that the intercepts use loads of ammunition as a result of it’s seemingly Ukrainians fired multiple spherical at every incoming missile.
The US assist announcement caps a string of commitments from allies this week.
The UK mentioned final week it will present missiles for the superior NASAM (Nationwide Superior Floor-to-Air Missile System) the Pentagon plans to ship to Ukraine. The UK is also sending a whole bunch of drones and 18 howitzer artillery weapons.
Germany has despatched the primary of 4 promised IRIS-T air defence methods; France pledged extra artillery, anti-aircraft methods and missiles; the Netherlands mentioned it will ship missiles and Canada is planning to ship winter tools, drone cameras and satellite tv for pc communications.
The commitments come as Russia has intensified its assaults, hitting the Kyiv area with kamikaze drones and firing missiles elsewhere at civilian targets, together with a hospital, a kindergarten and different buildings within the city of Nikopol, throughout the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant.
The assaults have been described as Russian revenge for the bombing of the strategic Kerch Bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea. Kremlin conflict hawks have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate the bombing marketing campaign much more to punish Ukraine for the current truck bomb assault on the bridge.
Ukraine has not claimed accountability for the assault.
Russia’s surge in missile strikes additionally represents an pressing effort by Moscow to regain its footing as Ukraine’s fierce counteroffensive has taken again cities and territory Russia had overrun within the earlier days of the conflict.