July 3 (UPI) — The Pentagon announced a “significant” package of air defense interceptors valued at some $2.2 billion for Ukraine on Wednesday, a day after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the besieged ally nation a massive security assistance was in the works.
The funding comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which sees the United States secure the weaponry and training from partners and companies rather than from presidential drawdowns taken from U.S. stockpiles.
The funding will be used to purchase interceptors for PATRIOT and NASAMS air defense systems for Ukraine, the Department of Defense said.
“The Biden Administration plans to accelerate delivery of these munitions by re-sequencing upcoming Foreign Military Sales deliveries for Ukraine,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
“As a result, Ukraine will be provided with the interceptors it urgently needs to protect its people and critical infrastructure against Russia’s aerial attacks.”
The Biden administration also announced an additional $150 million package under the presidential drawdown authority that includes missiles for HAWK air defense systems, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems as well as ammunition and artillery rounds, among other lethal items.
“This support will also help strengthen Ukraine’s air defense against Russian attacks and reinforce Ukraine’s capabilities across the front lines,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he is “grateful” to President Joe Biden, Congress and the American people for the security package.
“Additional air defense, artillery, anti-tank weapons, and other critical items, as well as funds to purchase Patriot and NASAMS missiles, will strengthen our warriors and improve our battlefield capabilities,” he said on X.
“We count on continued U.S. assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s defense and enable us to effectively counter Russian aggression and protect our people against Russian terror.”
The announcement comes a day after Austin announced that a more than $2 billion package was being assembled as uncertainty hung over the future of U.S. support for the beleaguered ally during an election season.
While Biden has been adamant that the United States will stand by Ukraine’s side for “as long as it takes,” his presumptive Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly praised President Vladimir Putin of Russia, has questioned U.S. funding for Kyiv and has frequently boasted that if re-elected he could end the nearly 2 1/2-year war in a day.
By giving Ukraine more than $50 billion in military assistance since Russia invaded, the United States is by far Kyiv’s largest backer.
The packages announced Wednesday are the latest since Congress finally approved $60 billion in lethal assistance for Ukraine in late April following months of Republican stonewalling as Kyiv’s armory ran dry.
Blinken said the Wednesday drawdown is the seventh since Biden signed his national security supplemental bill two months ago.
“We will move this new assistance as quickly as possible to bolster Ukraine’s defense of its territory and its people,” he said.
“As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine.”