WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled a new $1 billion aid package for Ukraine during his two-day visit to Kyiv this week unannounced – but only a fraction of the money will be used for military equipment and weapons.
Less than 20% of the aid — about $175 million — is earmarked to supply critical ammunition Kyiv’s defenders desperately need to bolster their counteroffensive and retake Russian-occupied territory, according to a breakdown from the State Department.
This includes “air defense system components, [rockets] for HIMARS, ammunition, ammunition, and communication systems,” the department said in a statement today.
While another $100 million will go toward “foreign military financing” — a State Department grant-like program that helps other countries buy weapons and equipment — the bulk of the $1 billion package is expected to support non-military aid.
The small amount set aside for military force comes after experts warned that Ukraine’s Western allies, including the US, have stopped providing weapons vital to the long-awaited counteroffensive, including Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce a new $1 billion aid package for Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv this week.Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“If more had been approved earlier, with the fastest training and delivery as a clear priority, Ukraine might be better off today because Russia would have less time to prepare, and Ukraine would have more combat power to execute their objectives earlier. ,” retired US Major General Gordon “Skip” Davis, now a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, previously told The Post.
Meanwhile, the non-military items include $300 million to “support law enforcement” and $206 million in humanitarian aid for “food, water and shelter” for those “forced to flee to neighboring countries.”
The department said the law enforcement funds are intended to assist “Ukrainian officials’ efforts to restore and maintain law and order in independent areas” of Ukraine that have been temporarily occupied by Russian forces, including those that are still “facing ongoing attacks” by Moscow.
A brief meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on September 6, 2023. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
Another $90.5 million of the 10-figure package will go to “humanitarian demining assistance,” as the Russians have littered Ukraine’s Donbas region with mines.
It also includes $5.4 million in assets claimed by the US from the properties and funds of blocked Russian oligarchs. The money will be used “to support the reintegration and rehabilitation of veterans” for Ukrainian soldiers returning from the battlefield.
The remaining approximately $203 million will be used for “institutional transparency and accountability” to support the “anti-corruption sector, rule of law and justice,” coming just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who was accused overspending on team food and winter coats.
A Ukrainian soldier is stationed near Bakhmut in Donetsk region on September 4, 2023.AP Photo/Libkos
The new package comes a week after Blinken unveiled a $250 million military equipment package on Aug. 29, drawn from $6.2 billion in funds discovered after a Pentagon accounting error that overstated the value of billions of dollars in Ukrainian aid.
As of that date, there was “approximately $5.75 billion in restored Presidential Issuing Powers [funds] which is still available to Ukraine,” the Pentagon told reporters on Tuesday.
While the exact contents of the upcoming package have yet to be revealed, last week’s package included air defense missiles, HIMARS ammunition, artillery shells and much-needed mine clearance equipment.
Blinken visited the Alley of Heroes at the Berkovetske cemetery in Kyiv with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine via AP
Meanwhile, Blinken on Wednesday met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv, where they “discussed the strong support of the United States for Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and reform efforts,” the State Department said in a reading of the meeting.
The top US diplomat also emphasized “US commitment to work with partners to address Ukraine’s energy, economic and humanitarian needs.”
Later, he will also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba “to discuss the ongoing counterattack and Ukraine’s future recovery and reconstruction efforts,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Flash shakes hands with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his visit to Kyiv.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
Blinken is scheduled to stay in Ukraine for two days.
The US has provided more than $43 billion in weapons and military equipment to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022, according to the Pentagon.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
