New $775 million US military Package for Ukraine underway

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Aug 23:22
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This time, the aid package is said to be worth $775 million, following another $1 billion package that was revealed on august 8.

Flight test pilot Alex Gustafson dismantles an Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aircraft after a flight in Arlington, Ore., Tuesday, March 26, 2013 (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

According to the White House, US President Joe Biden signed a document on Friday allowing the withdrawal of $775 million in military aid to Ukraine in response to Russia's special military operation.

On August 8, the US announced $1 billion in extra aid for Ukraine. This constitutes the nineteenth drawdown of equipment from the US department of defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.

"I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(1) of the FAA [Foreign Assistance Act] to direct the drawdown of up to $775 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine," the memorandum stated.

Five additional categories of military hardware that have not yet been supplied to Ukraine are included in the new package, According to a US defense official, these weapons include 16 105mm howitzer artillery cannons, 15 ScanEagle reconnaissance drones, 1,500 tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank missiles, 40 MRAP light vehicles, and 2,000 rounds of anti-armor ammo for Carl Gustaf guns.

The official stated that the package will also include ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles.

This decision comes ahead of Ukraine's threat to damage the Zaporozhye NPP to which mant have argued could result in a "large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radiation contamination of vast territories", according to the Kremlin.

Other observers, such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, have warned of a nuclear tragedy in the fight surrounding Europe's largest nuclear reactor.