US announces new aid for Ukraine amid uncertainty about continued help
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has tested positive for Covid (file photo).
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday (Oct 11) said that the US will provide a new USD 200 million military assistance package for Ukraine even as opposition from hardline Republican lawmakers put into question continued aid to Kyiv as it defends against a Russian invasion.
"I'm proud that the United States will announce its latest security assistance package for Ukraine, valued at $200 million," Austin said alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky at the opening of a meeting of Kyiv's international supporters in Brussels.
The aid package includes air defence munitions, artillery and rocket ammo as well as anti-tank weapons among other items.
It is first US package announced since US Congress dropped fresh funding for Ukraine from a recent bill to avert a US government shutdown. This has set off fears in the Western camp that Washington was not keen to continue helping Ukraine for a very long time.
Austin nonetheless insisted Wednesday -- as he has before -- that the United States "will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."
Even in the face of absence of further action by Congress, the US government can still withdraw more than USD 5 billion in equipment
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A senior US official said there is no immediate cause for alarm when it comes to Ukraine assistance.
"Even if we do have... some difficulties we have to work out within the US Congress, there is a lot of money there to still sustain the pace of support that we're accustomed to, and then allies are stepping forward with their own announcements," the official told journalists in Brussels.
"Zelensky's visit really couldn't have come at a better moment in a way, particularly if our goal is to signal continued support for Ukraine, even though there are challenges... within the US system."
Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. The Western countries, mainly led by the US, have poured in billions of dollars as humanitarian and military aid. A cut in this financial assistance will be a major blow to Ukraine which is still struggling to make considerable progress in retaking the territory captured by Russian forces.
"I continue to firmly believe that our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine will hold fast in any season or any storm," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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