WASHINGTON, Feb 27 — President Joe Biden instructed the US State Department to release up to an additional US$350 million worth of weapons from US stocks to Ukraine on Friday as it struggles to repulse a Russian invasion.
In a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden directed that US$350 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine’s defense.Yesterday, Blinken said in a statement that this third authorization for weapons shipments to Ukraine was “unprecedented.” The Pentagon said the weapons included anti-armor, small arms, body armor and various munitions in support of Ukraine’s front-line defenders. In addition, a State Department spokesperson said the materiel included anti-aircraft systems.
The United States drew from US weapons stocks to supply Ukraine in the fall of 2021 and then again in December. Over the past year the United States has committed more than US$1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, Blinken said. Other nations have pledged military materiel to Kyiv as Ukraine’s military fights against an invading Russian force. Russian troops started advancing into Ukraine again on Saturday after President Vladimir Putin paused the offensive a day earlier in anticipation of talks with Kyiv that never happened, the Kremlin said.