Antony Blinken announces the US will send another $400 MILLION of weapons to Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday the US an additional $400million of air defense missiles and additional military aid to Ukraine, keeping up the flow of weaponry as the White House prepares for a changeover in Congress.

 As with previous military aid package, the latest includes a mix of ammunition and sophisticated weaponry, which Ukraine’s army has been using to beach back Russian forces after their February invasion. 

Also included are heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to help take out Iranian-supplied armed drones that have been menacing Ukrainian cities and towns. 

‘The artillery ammunition, precision fires, air defense missiles, and tactical vehicles that we are providing will best serve Ukraine on the battlefield,’ Blinken said in a statement.

‘We are joined in our efforts by France and the UK, including the £50 million in air defense systems offered by UK Prime Minister Sunak during his recent visit to Kyiv, and we note Sweden’s recent air defense commitment valued at nearly $300 million,’ he said.

‘We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, so it can continue to defend itself and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table when the time comes,’ he concluded – referencing the fraught issue of negotiations.

The Pentagon said the package included additional munitions for NASAMS air defense systems and for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS).

Ukrainian firefighters work at a damaged hospital maternity ward in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. A Russian rocket struck the maternity wing of a hospital in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing a newborn boy and critically injuring a doctor. The U.S. announced an additional $400 in military aid for Ukraine

The package also includes 200 generators – following Russia’s repeated bombardments of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

‘With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal missile and UAS attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities remain an urgent priority. The additional munitions for NASAMS and heavy machine guns will help Ukraine counter these urgent threats,’ said the pentagon, in reference to the air defense systems.

Russian forces once again lobbed missiles at Ukraine, taking out electricity infrastructure around Kyiv and across the country. The attacks killed at least six and caused more blackouts. 

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‘The artillery ammunition, precision fires, air defense missiles, and tactical vehicles that we are providing will best serve Ukraine on the battlefield,’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Air Defense Unit of the National Guard of Ukraine performs tasks on air border protection in Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine

NASAMS is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system, and makes up part of the latest aid package

The Biden administration has poured $19.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s February invasion, with the total approaching $22 billion since 2014, with Russia annexed Crimea from Ukrainian territory. 

This is the 26th drawdown of equipment from Pentagon inventories. House Republicans are set to take over the House, and potential speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has said the U.S. will not give Ukraine a ‘blank check,’ amid resistance and even opposition to Ukraine in some Republican quarters.