US announces new military assistance batch for Ukraine worth $2,1 bln

The official message of the US Ministry of Defense, published on Friday, notes this.

The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) involves long-term contracts with industry or partner countries, so equipment will not be provided to Ukraine anytime soon.

The package includes additional ammunition for Patriot air defense systems, air defense systems and HAWK missiles, 105-mm, and 203-mm artillery shells, unmanned aerial systems Puma, ammunition for laser-guided missile systems, support for training, technical maintenance, and provision of equipment.

The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with opportunities to meet its immediate needs on the battlefield and long-term needs for security assistance,  the Pentagon emphasized.

The total amount of US military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, according to official data from the US Department of Defense, is more than 39.7 billion dollars.

US President Joe Biden believes that American funding to support Ukraine will continue despite possible discussions in Congress.

The American leader emphasized that Washington and its allies have made efforts to continuously support Ukraine against the backdrop of a full-scale Russian war, and "given the current situation, we are optimistic."

I am confident that we will have funding to support Ukraine as much as it is needed, and it will be real, even if there are votes against it in Congress, Biden said.

He said that he discussed the issue of the war in Ukraine with representatives of Congress, in particular, those who expressed skepticism about further support for Kyiv.

I told them: if we stop supporting Ukraine, Russia will not stop at Kyiv, and even my opposers agree that this is the case, he added.

The head of the White House approved the law adopted this week by the American Congress, which increases the limits of the national debt and allows the country to avoid default.