The U.S. will provide Ukraine an additional $270 million in security support, including more medium-range rocket systems and tactical drones, the White House stated on Friday.
The most recent instalment, which is being funded by the $40 billion in economic and security help for Ukraine approved by Congress in May, takes the total amount of U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine by the Biden administration to $8.2 billion.
According to John Kirby, the White House National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, the new package includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and will enable Kyiv to purchase up to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones. These are both essential weapon systems that have allowed the Ukrainians to remain in the fight despite Russian artillery superiority. Along with extra ammo for the HIMARS, the most recent support also includes about 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
The president has made it clear that the United States would continue to support the Ukrainian government and its citizens for however long it takes, according to Kirby.
The stronger and better equipped Russian forces have been repelled by Ukrainian forces using tactical drones and rocket launchers developed in the United States.
Russia has significantly more ammo at its disposal, but it has also suffered significant manpower and equipment losses as Ukrainian forces have received precision weapons from the US and other Western partners. According to CIA Director William Burns on Wednesday, the United States believes that 15,000 Russian soldiers have died. That number of fatalities would equal the Soviet Union's military casualties in its nearly ten-year war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
As it defends its eastern lines, Ukraine has heavily utilised technologies from the West in an effort to balance the battle.
Long sought after by Ukraine are more HIMARS launchers, which can fire medium-range rockets and be easily moved away from Russian targets. According to reports, on Wednesday, Ukrainian soldiers used a HIMARS to strike a crucial bridge in Kherson, an area of southern Ukraine that is seized by Russia. The systems have "barely had any rest during the day or at night," one military specialist told The Associated Press.
Additionally, the United States is sending more GMLRS guided rockets to Ukraine. The Pentagon is still against providing longer-range rockets, which Ukraine would employ to launch an attack deep within Russian territory. That's a hint toward American efforts to control the danger of Russia starting a bigger war.
12 truck-mounted HIMARS have already been delivered by the US to Ukraine. Three distinct types of launchers have also received GMLRS missiles from the United Kingdom.
Drone use in the conflict has been widespread on both sides. Prior to this, the United States agreed to send 121 Phoenix Ghosts to Ukraine. The capabilities of those drones, which were created by the U.S. Air Force and manufactured by Aevex Aerospace, which describes itself as a leader in "full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions," have not been fully disclosed by Pentagon officials. The drones can be deployed to assault targets and have cameras on board.
This month, the United States revealed that it thinks Russia intends to buy several hundred drones from Iran. Officials from the Biden administration have attempted to publicly dissuade Iran from pressing forward with the transfer after Iranian drones previously breached air defense systems in the Middle East that were provided by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A presentation of the weapons-capable drones Iran is looking to buy was held in Iran twice in June or July, according to satellite footage given by the White House.
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