Washington: The US has authorized a further reduction of weapons and equipment from the US Department of Defense to defend Ukraine, the State Department said in a press release. “According to a delegation of the President’s authority, I am authorizing our thirteenth drawdown of up to $450 million of weapons and equipment from the USD Department of Defense Inventory for the Defense of Ukraine from August 2021,” the statement said.
The authorization would bring total US security aid to Ukraine to more than US$6.1 billion since Russia launched a “brutal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion” of Ukraine on 24 February. Blinken said the continued flow of U.S. security aid, and that a coalition of more than 40 allies and partners, continues to strengthen Ukraine’s security, improves its ability to defend its sovereign territory, and fight off the battlefield. Tough wins.
We have imposed sharp and severe sanctions on Russia’s economy and the elite of President Putin’s regime.
We have enhanced NATO’s capability to deter and defend against any aggression by Russia on our eastern side. And we will continue to provide vital military capabilities to the brave defenders of Ukraine,” he said in an official statement.
The US reiterated its support for Ukraine. “Ukraine stands strong. We continue to stand united with Ukraine,” Blinken said. Earlier, condemning Russia’s “pre-planned, unprovoked, unfair and brutal war” on Ukraine, Blinken said the US would continue to provide Ukraine with weapons for its defence.
These efforts, along with direct US humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine, supported documentation of Russia’s war crimes against citizens of Ukraine, and Putin’s continued efforts to simultaneously increase pressure on the crumbling economy helped undermine the Russian government. will do. and isolate them from the world until Russia ends its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine,” he had said.
Blinken also reiterated US support for defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This is a tragic and devastating war of the choice of Russia as a whole, and the United States, its allies and partners will stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, to defend their country and their democracy.
Together, we continue to support the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” he had said.
Notably, Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on 24 February, which the West has dubbed an unprovoked war. As a result, Western countries have also imposed severe sanctions on Moscow.