BREAKING

US pledges Ukraine $250mln worth of military package of munitions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Aug 2023 22:03
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The US Department of Defense says the new package will include AIM-9M and Javelin missiles and various artillery and small arms munitions, including for HIMARS.

A US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) fires a missile during a joint military drill between the Philippines and the US called Salaknib at Laur, Nueva Ecija province, northern Philippines, on Friday, March 31, 2023. (AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed, on Tuesday, that the new military package worth $250 million will be comprised of AIM-9M, Javelin missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) missiles, and three million small caliber rounds.

In details, Blinken announced that the package "includes AIM-9M missiles for air defense, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, mine-clearing equipment, Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets, over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition, ambulances, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, as well as spare parts, services, training and transportation."

Moreover, the US Defense Department revealed that the new package will further encompass TOW anti-tank and Hydra-70 air-to-ground missiles.

According to the Defense Department, "The capabilities in this package, valued at up to $250 million, include… tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles... and Hydra-70 rockets."

Meanwhile, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the United States is confident in its ability to provide assistance to Ukraine through the end of the fiscal year.

“We’re confident that we will have enough money to meet Ukraine’s need through the fiscal year,” Singh said during a press briefing.

However, the Pentagon is hopeful that Congress will pass a supplemental funding request for further Ukraine aid, Singh added.

NATO-based military contractors fail Ukraine despite hefty payments

This comes as defense companies in NATO nations that have signed weapons and military equipment contracts, worth millions of dollars, with Ukraine have failed to deliver.

In 2022, Alfa, a Polish company, signed contracts with Kiev worth approximately $95 million. However, as Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed, earlier on Tuesday, Alfa has so far failed to act on these contracts.

Reznikov stated that "this firm is indeed one of the foreign companies that has signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense," and despite the multiple arbitration claims that have already been filed against Alfa, Kiev saw no deliverables.

According to the Minister, "There are many such firms, and, unfortunately, not all of them were able to fulfill the signed contracts, even the influential players in the market," adding that "there are also Ukrainian firms that didn't deliver promised supplies, and American ones."

The Minister even revealed that Alfa "offered us [Ukraine] other types of projectiles; we are now studying whether they are suitable for us. And then we will either have them delivered, or we will demand the advance payment to be returned."

This revelation comes at a time when the Ukrainian government has been scrambling for equipment and weapons to continue its counteroffensive which has so far not made any significant change in the power balance of the war in Ukraine as it was initially anticipated.