US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new $400 million military assistance package for Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv on 21 October, Ukrinform reported.
Austin said that a presidential aid package of $400 million was allocated for ammunition, military equipment, and weapons for Ukraine.
This latest allocation follows a $425 million aid package announced on 16 October, which included air defense systems, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles, and “critically important ammunition.”
It’s Lloyd Austin’s fourth visit to Kyiv as Secretary of Defense, “demonstrating that the United States, alongside the international community, continues to stand by Ukraine,” he wrote on X.
The visit comes at a critical time, with questions looming about the future of US support for Ukraine ahead of the upcoming US presidential election.
During his visit to Kyiv, Austin met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
On 18 October, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on stable military aid deliveries, with packages to be announced every two to three weeks.
The report also mentions that on 26 September, President Biden instructed the Pentagon to expand the F-16 training program for Ukrainian pilots. On the same day, Zelenskyy said the US announced significant defense assistance totaling $7.9 billion through various programs.
Russian forces keep advancing in the east of Ukraine, capturing villages in the Pokrovsk direction, a focal point of intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk Oblast. since October 2023.
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