Ukraine's Christmas package: US sending $1.85 billion in arms to Kiev
After arriving to Washington, Zelensky has scored himself major deals.
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US-made Patriot air defence system
The United States will provide an additional $1.85 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, with the assistance consisting of a Patriot air defense system, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"$1.85 Billion in Additional US Military Assistance, including the First Transfer of Patriot Air Defense System," Blinken said in a press release. This decision comes right after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived to the White House on late Wednesday to meet US President Joe Biden.
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that one Patriot air defense system, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMs), among other military hardware, is included in the recently announced $1.85 billion US security assistance package for Ukraine.
"Capabilities in this package include One Patriot air defense battery and munitions; additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)," the Pentagon press release revealed.
According to the press release, the package also includes small guns, explosives, armored vehicles, mortar systems, and 500 precisely guided 155mm artillery rounds.
On the other hand, Germany does not have any available Patriot systems and therefore won't be sending any to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, German governmental spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said that Berlin currently does not have any available Patriots to send to Ukraine, and welcomed the United States' decision of doing so.
"At the moment, Germany does not have [Patriot] systems it could send [to Ukraine]. In this regard, we are glad that the United States is taking such a step," Hebestreit told a press briefing.
In early December, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Germany refused a request by Ukraine to supply it with Patriot air defense systems and will be sending them to Poland as previously planned.
Earlier in November, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked Berlin to supply his country with the US anti-missile system rather than sending them to Poland.
Germany offered to supply Poland with several batteries from its Patriot missile defense system after two Poles died when two missiles, believed to be Ukrainian, fell on the village of Przewodów in the Lubelskie Voivodeship near the border with Ukraine on November 15.
Polish President Andrzej Duda tweeted then that the Patriot missiles offered to Poland by Germany should be sent to Ukraine because it makes sense from a military point of view.
