US Announces a New $2.3 Billion Worth of Security Aid for Ukraine

Ahead of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington next week, the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense. “The United States will soon announce more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine,” Austin said at the start of a meeting.

He continued “It will also enable the United States to procure more Patriot and NASAMS air defense interceptors which will be provided on an accelerated timeline.”

In reply Umerov thanked Austin for Washington’s assistance, saying that “with that support, we will stop Russia and stop the aggression.”

The US has provided Kyiv with more than $51 billion in military since Russia launched its February 2022 full-scale invasion. For several months, however, at the end of 2023 and the beginning of this year the US Congress held back approval of providing additional funding before approving legislation authorizing $61 billion in aid.

Although Washington has since provided multiple new packages, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had been able to take the initiative on the battlefield while Kyiv waited for much needed new aid. On June 30 he said that Russia had been able to hit Ukraine with hundreds of guided aerial bombs in the previous week alone.

He continued to urge Western leaders give his forces a free hand to strike military targets on Russian territory and specifically to provide Ukraine with the “means necessary to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian combat aircraft, wherever they are.”

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Austin did not mention the restrictions on the use of US weaponry but referred to the 10-year bilateral security agreement signed between the US and Ukraine adding: “I look forward to discussing more ways to meet Ukraine’s immediate security needs and to build a future force to ward off more Russian aggression.”

Umerov said Ukraine was eager to become a member of NATO, telling Austin that “Hopefully soon Ukraine will receive its invitation [to join the Alliance],” to which his US counterpart replied, “we’ll take steps to build a bridge to NATO membership for Ukraine.”

NATO has accepted two new members since the start of the war in Ukraine - Finland and Sweden, but offering membership for Ukraine has proved much more controversial, with Washington and other members of the Alliance saying it is impossible until the war concludes.

“Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone, and the US will never waver in our support,” Austin said. Then referring to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the so-called Ramstein meetings he said, “Alongside some 50 allies and partners, we’ll continue to provide critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to push back Russian aggression today and to deter Russian aggression tomorrow.”

Austin said $150 million of the aid will come from presidential drawdown authority (PDA) and the remainder will be provided form the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). PDA allows the Pentagon to take the weapons from its stocks and send them more quickly to Ukraine. USAI covers weapons procurement against longer-term contracts.