The Biden administration has authorized an additional $100 million in military aid to Ukraine to help the embattled country fight against the ongoing invasion by Russian forces.
The package will include eighteen 155mm Howitzers, eighteen Tactical Vehicles to tow 155mm Howitzers, three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars, and field equipment and spare parts.
So far, the United States has committed around $4.6 billion in security assistance since the beginning of the Biden administration. Out of the $4.6 billion, $3.9 billion has been disbursed since Russia’s Ukraine invasion on Feb. 24.
Since 2014, the United States has given over $6.6 billion in security assistance to the European nation.
The newly announced munitions will be supplied to Ukrainian military forces in the eastern regions. According to Kirby, the items will “start to flow very, very soon.”
The United States has already provided Ukraine with ninety 155 mm howitzers together with over 200,000 artillery rounds, 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, over 700 Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems, and more than 5,000 Javelin anti-armor systems.
With the bill, the total American support for Ukraine comes to $54 billion, which includes the $13.6 billion that Congress had approved in March.
The European Union has approved 2 billion euros ($2.11 billion) of financial support to Ukraine. Of this, 500 million euros ($527 million) in funds were announced last week and will be used to buy heavy weapons.