Joe Biden announced plans on Tuesday to give an additional $625 million in military aid to Ukraine, a package that includes additional advanced rocket systems credited with helping the country’s military gain momentum in its war with Russia.
In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Biden revealed that the package included – four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, 200 mine-resistant vehicles, hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery and mortar ammunition.
In a statement, the White House said:
“President Biden also affirmed the continued readiness of the United States to impose severe costs on any individual, entity, or country that provides support to Russia’s purported annexation.”
The United States first sent HIMARs to Ukraine in late July. These additional systems will bring the total number of HIMARS sent to Ukraine to 20.
The U.S. in recent weeks also provided funding through a separate program — the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — so another 18 HIMARS can be purchased through longer-term contracts.
The Ukrainian armies have been using the HIMARS to repeatedly hit the main bridge across the Dnieper and a dam that served as a second crossing. It also has struck pontoon bridges that Russia has used to supply its forces.
USAI funds are being used as part of the effort by the U.S. and Western allies to ensure Ukraine’s forces are trained and equipped to defend their country in the years to come. But those contracts will take several years to fulfill.
Ukraine’s battlefield successes in Kherson are notable since that is one of the four areas that Russia is in the process of Annexing.
