Capitol Hill, July 3:
On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Llyod Austin announced that the country will shortly disclose military aid to Ukraine worth more than USD 2.3 billion. The defense secretary announced that additional air defense interceptors and other vital munitions from US inventory will be provided by this new package. "This package under presidential drawdown authority will provide new air defence interceptors, anti-tank weapons, and other critical munitions from US inventories," Austin stated at a meeting with Rustem Umerov, the defense minister of Ukraine.
"It will also enable the United States to procure more Patriot and NASAMs air defence interceptors, which will be provided on an accelerated timeline by the resequencing of deliveries for some foreign military sales," Austin said in a CNN report. The exact breakdown of the USD 2.3 billion remains unknown, though, as it might be allocated either to the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which depletes US stockpiles, or to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which authorizes US defense sector purchases of systems and equipment.
The United States has been regularly unveiling aid packages for Ukraine since earlier this year, when Congress approved roughly USD 61 billion in aid. After perhaps other nations were already in line to obtain air defense capabilities, the United States just pushed Ukraine to the top of the list.
Speaking privately with CNN at the time, a White House official said, "many of these countries have understood and appreciated the necessity of this decision."
"If any of our partners were in an existential situation like the one that Ukraine is in right now, we would move heaven and earth to help them and it just so happens that right now that country is Ukraine," according to the official.
A long-term bilateral security contract was inked by the US and Ukraine a few weeks ago; according to CNN, the pact commits the US to training the Ukrainian armed forces, providing military aid, and enhancing intelligence cooperation for the next decade.
On top of that, it's happening exactly one week before the NATO meeting in DC is supposed to take place. More specifically, Austin promised to "take steps to build a bridge to NATO membership for Ukraine."
"Ukraine has used it to stop Russia, stop the aggression towards people, towards our values, national interests." Umerov added, after thanking Austin for his support, following the news. He went on to say that he was excited to talk about the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO in the future. "Hopefully soon, Ukraine will receive its invitation," Umerov stated in reference to NATO.
