The United States will soon supply Ukraine with a further US$2.3 billion in military aid to bolster its almost 30-month fight against invading Russian forces.
The package approved by US President Joe Biden includes “more air defence inceptors, anti-tank weapons and other critical munitions from US inventories,” Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday during a visit to Washington by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.
A realignment of military supplies by other countries will also allow the US to provide ammunition for Patriot and other air defence systems “in an accelerated time frame”, Austin said.
The new supplies come under one of several tranches provided since the US Congress released funds totalling some US$61 billion to Ukraine in late April.
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China skips international peace conference on Ukraine, calls for negotiations ‘as soon as possible’
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Since Russian launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US provided Kyiv with military aid totalling more than US$50 billion, according to the Pentagon.
As a result of the renewed US military aid, Ukraine has been able to stabilise the situation on the around 620-mile (1000-km) front line.
Since the start in May of a new offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces have already been able to to reduce their firepower deficit.
According to media reports, only three Russian shells are fired in the area per one Ukrainian shell, compared with the previous five or more.
