US to give Ukraine $4.5Bln in budgetary support
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The United States sends more money in Ukraine's way despite its own citizens grappling with massive inflation.
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The US Treasury Department
The United States government will be providing Ukraine with a $4.5 billion package for its budgetary needs, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said.
"The United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in coordination with the US Department of the Treasury, is providing an additional $4.5 billion in direct budgetary support to the Government of Ukraine," the agency said in a statement.
Washington's infamous aid agency said the money was "to help alleviate the acute budget deficit caused by Putin’s brutal war of aggression."
The package will be delivered in tranches and made in coordination with the Treasury Department and the World Bank.
"Once these additional funds are fully disbursed, the US government will have provided $8.5 billion in direct budgetary support to the Government of Ukraine," the statement read, adding to the piles of millions of dollars provided by Washington to Kiev.
"The resources provided today build on previous budget support, enabling the Ukrainian government to carry out core functions," USAID claimed.
Earlier in the day, the Pentagon announced that the US is providing $1 billion in additional security aid for Ukraine, marking another massive aid package as the US undergoes a devastating inflation crisis.
US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said Monday that Ukraine did not need hundreds of high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to effectively fight against the Russian special military operation.
"We've sent 16 HIMARS systems, which is actually quite a lot. These are not systems that we assess you need in the hundreds… These are precision-guided systems for very particular types of targets, and the Ukrainians are using them as such," Kahl said when asked why more of the systems were not included in the most recent US defense package.
The United States on Monday announced $1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including ammunition for HIMARS and other artillery systems, as well as surface-to-air missiles and anti-armor systems.
The security package is the 18th presidential drawdown of funds for Ukraine, and also the single largest to date, according to the Pentagon. The US has committed approximately $9.8 billion in total security assistance since the beginning of the Biden administration, the Pentagon said in a press release.
The package includes more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, 20 120mm mortar systems, 20,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition, and munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).
The US will also send 1,000 Javelin and hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems, 50 armored medical treatment vehicles, C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment.
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