Washington, DC [US]: US President Joe Biden has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, worth USD 225 million, which includes a Patriot air defence system to help Ukraine protect its skies from Russian airstrikes, The Hill reported.
This announcement was made during a meeting between Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit held on July 10 in Washington DC.
This is the second Patriot system the US has promised to Ukraine. The system will be taken directly from the US military’s inventory and sent to Ukraine quickly, as per The Hill.
The air defence system also is among several others that Biden announced this week at the summit.
Kicking off the event on July 9, Biden teased the “historic donation of air defence equipment for Ukraine,” with the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy to provide Kyiv “with the equipment for five additional strategic air defence systems.”
Later on, a joint statement from the US, Germany and Romania said they would give Ukraine Patriot batteries, the Netherlands would provide components to make up another Patriot battery and Italy will provide a SAMP-T air defence system.
Biden added that in the coming months, the US and its partners will provide Kyiv with “dozens of additional tactical air defence systems.”
This week, NATO countries pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russian attacks.
The promise comes after a recent escalation in violence, including a missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv on July 8 that killed at least 42 people. The hospital strike was part of a larger attack that targeted five Ukrainian cities with over 40 missiles. NATO’s support aims to help Ukraine continue to resist Russian aggression.
NATO is a military alliance of 31 countries from North America and Europe, committed to mutual defence and cooperation
The USD 225 million package also includes munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAM), Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems), Javelin and AT-4 antiarmor systems and more 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, among other munitions, according to a Pentagon list of the aid.
The new announcement comes after the US last week promised to send more military aid to Ukraine, worth USD 150 million, through a special program that allows the President to quickly provide weapons from US stocks.
Additionally, the US pledged USD 2.2 billion to help Ukraine buy advanced weapon systems, such as Patriot missiles and NASAM air defence systems, from American manufacturers.