The US on Monday announced another USD 1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine. This becomes the biggest delivery of rockets, ammunition and other arms from Department of Defense stocks for Ukrainian forces.
The Biden administration announced this as analysts warned that Russia was moving troops and equipment toward the southern port cities of Ukraine. The latest announcement, therefore, brings the total US security assistance to Ukraine to more than USD 9 billion since the Russian invasion in February.
It is to be noted that for the last few months, Russia has focused on capturing the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. In this region, pro-Moscow separatists have controlled some territory as self-proclaimed republics.
This aid will likely help Ukrainian forces prevent Russia from capturing the Donbas region and port cities. The aid includes rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS in short), thousands of mortar systems, artillery rounds, Javelins and other ammunition and equipment. Reportedly, HIMARS, in particular, is crucial in Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his gratitude, he has been asking for warplanes for a long time and considered them essential to protecting Ukraine’s skies. However, the US and some other NATO nations are suspicious that it could draw them into direct involvement with Ukraine’s war against Russia and therefore have not provided Western aircraft.