US announces new $500 million military aid package for Ukraine

The United States has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, as tensions escalate with Russia over Kiev’s use of American-made ballistic missiles.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the 500-million-dollar package will provide urgently needed weapons and equipment to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

"The United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia's ongoing attacks," Blinken said

The package includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) rocket systems, artillery rounds, drones, armored vehicles, and protective gear against unconventional weapons.

The latest aid package follows two previous multi-million-dollar packages announced earlier this month.

The announcement came despite Russia’s earlier warning that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks that are carried out using US-supplied weapons and missiles.

Moscow has repeatedly asserted that diplomacy is the only way out of the war in Ukraine and that the Western supply of weapons will only prolong the conflict.

On Tuesday, the US Treasury announced the transfer of the $20 billion US share of a $50 billion G7 loan to Ukraine, directed to a World Bank fund to provide economic and financial aid to Kiev.

According to the Treasury Department, this move fulfills the US's commitment made in October to match the European Union's pledge of $20 billion in aid backed by frozen Russian assets, in addition to smaller loans from Canada, Britain, and Japan, to help Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.

Russia: US transfer of $20bn of frozen assets to Ukraine ‘robbery’

Russia

On Saturday, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced a new $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which includes drones and munitions for the HIMARS previously supplied by the US. This latest military assistance follows a separate announcement of $725 million in military aid made on December 2.

Trump has consistently claimed he could swiftly resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict upon returning to the White House, raising concerns in Kiev that this resolution might entail the loss of territory already annexed by Russia.

Both Trump and many Republican lawmakers oppose substantial funding for Ukraine and other military initiatives, including those related to NATO.

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