Biden administration announces new aid for Ukraine
Mike Brest
Video Embed
The Biden administration announced its latest round of military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, valued at up to $200 million.
The assistance, provided via presidential drawdown authority, includes AIM-9M missiles for air defense; counter-unmanned aerial vehicles; additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems; 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, and more. When aid is provided through the president’s drawdown authority, it comes from existing U.S. stockpiles and can reach Ukraine quickly.
ISRAEL WAR: BIDEN’S $6 BILLION IRAN PRISONER SWAP DEAL UNDER HARSH SPOTLIGHT
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with defense leaders from roughly 50 countries on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium, in the latest Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. It was Brown’s first time at the monthly meeting since his predecessor, retired Gen. Mark Milley, retired.
“Now, President Zelensky’s team provided us with a valuable update on Ukraine’s current counteroffensive. Ukraine’s brave troops continue to make steady progress. Yet, as winter approaches, Ukrainians are bracing for Russia to again target Ukraine’s energy grid and civilian infrastructure, and as Putin becomes more cruel, the Ukrainians become more determined,” Austin said. “So we will continue to get them the systems that they need. Just look at the ground-based air defense systems that this coalition has surged into Ukraine. Those systems are saving countless civilian lives from Russia’s bombardments.”
In order to help Ukraine in the long term, Austin announced that the group of defense leaders is creating “capability coalitions” that he said are “going to make our security assistance more nimble and help to secure Ukraine’s future. Estonia and Luxembourg will lead a coalition dedicated to supporting Ukraine’s I.T. infrastructure, Lithuania is leading the efforts to neutralize Russian mines in Ukrainian territory, while Denmark, the Netherlands, and the U.S. will work with Ukraine to develop its air force capabilities including on the F-16 fighter aircraft,” Austin said.
Both Brown and Austin also shared their support for Israel as it recovers from and responds to one of the largest terror attacks in the country’s history. Roughly 1,200 people were killed when hundreds of terrorists gained access to the southern part of the country and raided nearby communities. A vast majority of the victims were civilians.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
More than 1,000 Gaza residents have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes and the military appears ready to begin a ground operation into the small enclave bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The U.S. has provided munitions to Israel and increased its strength in the region following the attacks.