US announces additional $100 million in security assistance to Ukraine

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Monday announced $100 million in new security assistance to Ukraine as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

The package includes additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment, including one High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems as well as more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

"Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security," the Defense Department said in a statement.

"It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people in dozens of states across the country," it added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, said it is "critical for Congress to take action to support Ukraine by passing the President’s supplemental funding request."

"Helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future as a sovereign, democratic, independent, and prosperous nation advances our national security interests," said Blinken in a statement.

"It helps prevent larger conflict in the region and deters future aggression, which makes us all safer," he added.

The US has sent more than $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine in February 2022.