US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that the United States will provide Ukraine with an arms package worth $725 million, as the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden seeks to support the government in Kiev in its war with Russian invaders before leaving office in January. Reuters I mentioned.
The assistance will include Stinger missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), drones and landmines, among other things, Blinken said in a statement.
Reuters It was reported last week that the Biden administration plans to provide equipment, mostly anti-tank weapons, to repel attacking Russian forces.
“The United States and more than 50 countries stand united to ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression,” Blinken’s statement said.
The announcement represents a significant increase in scale from Biden’s recent use of the so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the United States to tap existing weapons stockpiles to assist allies in emergencies.
Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged between $125 million and $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion in PDA already authorized by Congress, which he is expected to use in Ukraine before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
This batch of weapons represents the first time in decades that the United States has exported landmines, the use of which is controversial because of the potential harm to civilians.
Although more than 160 countries have signed a treaty banning its use, Kiev has claimed it since Russia launched its large-scale invasion in early 2022, and Russian forces have used it on the front lines.
The landmines to be sent to Ukraine are “non-permanent”, with a power system that only lasts a short time, making the devices non-lethal. This means that – unlike older landmines – they will not remain in the ground, threatening civilians indefinitely.