In year of war, US gives Ukraine $30B worth of weapons

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US has provided Ukraine with nearly $30 billion in military assistance since Russia began its war against its western neighbor one year ago, according to data reviewed by Anadolu.

The latest tranche, announced by President Joe Biden during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, is worth nearly half-a-billion dollars, and is earmarked for a wide range of equipment including artillery ammunition, radars, anti-personnel mines, and anti-tank weapons.

Total US assistance since the beginning of the war now stands at $29.8 billion, with $30.4 billion provided since Biden assumed office in January 2021.

The breadth of US arms supplied to Ukraine has grown steadily over the course of the conflict to meet Kyiv’s requirements.

The types of equipment supplied to Ukrainian forces now includes sophisticated anti-air and long-range artillery systems, as well as battle tanks sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In all, 38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) have been sent, one Patriot air defense battery, two HAWK air defense systems, and 12 Avenger air defense platforms.

In terms of cavalry, 109 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 45 T-72B tanks, and over 640 armored personnel carriers have been supplied, with 31 Abrams tanks committed so far.

The US is in the process of training Ukrainian forces to field and maintain its premier battle tank.

“Over the last year, the United States has provided critical support to the people of Ukraine, working in close coordination with the government of Ukraine to get them what they need,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

To date, the US has supplied Ukraine with over 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, more than 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, nearly 55,000 additional anti-armor weapons, over 700 in-house developed Switchblade suicide drones, 160 155mm howitzer artillery units, and 72 105mm howitzers.

In order to bolster Ukraine’s coastal defense during the early stages of the conflict, the US supplied two Harpoon anti-ship missile systems.

Over 100 million rounds of ammunition have been sent to Kyiv for everything from small arms to rocket systems, artillery, and mortar rounds.

While the US has pitched in the lion’s share of international military aid, it has also rallied allies across the globe to follow suit, and stand in lockstep on diplomatic and economic efforts to punish Russia.

“Since first exposing Russia’s plans to launch this invasion, we ensured that Ukraine’s resilience has been matched with global resolve. We rallied the international community to speak out and stand against Russia’s brutal war, including at the United Nations, where the world has repeatedly and overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s aggression,” the White House said.

“One year ago, Putin thought he could quickly topple Ukraine. He thought he could divide our allies and partners. He was wrong. Ukraine still stands. The international coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger and more united than ever,” the statement added.

It was referring to diplomatic efforts the US has led at the UN that have resulted in multiple resolutions demanding Russia halt the war, most recently on Oct. 12 when the assembly voted overwhelmingly to call on member states not to recognize Russia’s annexation claims of Ukrainian territories.