(ConservativeSense.com) – $400 million more in assistance will be sent to Ukraine by the U.S. Department of Defense to cover additional security, including armored vehicles, missiles, and drones, as the war with Russia rages on.
The new package, announced on Tuesday, will also include Black Hornet drones manufactured by Teledyne FLIR Defense, a branch of Teledyne Technologies. The Norwegian-manufactured and U.S.-furnished drones will be used for surveillance. To supply the small drone to the U.S. Army, the drone company received a contract worth $93 million in April.
The weapons package also includes munitions for air defense systems, anti-aircraft systems, artillery rocket systems, and a variety of other rockets and missiles, all of which come from excess inventory.
The funds for the aid package were secured through Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which permits the president to transfer goods and services during an emergency from U.S. stocks without having to seek approval from Congress. This route to assist Ukraine has been used dozens of times already. This latest assistance package is the 43rd such package. Since the war with Russia began in 2022, the U.S. military has sent over $43 billion to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented on the announcement by noting that “Russia could end this war” if they withdrew their forces and stopped the “brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and people.” Blinken said that until this happens, the United States and its allies “will stand united… as long as it takes.”
Russia, of course, denounced the new aid package. The Russian ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, called Washington’s actions “beyond morality and common sense.”
Thousands have been killed in Ukraine so far, and millions of civilians have been displaced due to the conflict. It’s unclear how long the war will last, although former President Donald Trump claims he could end the conflict “in 24 hours” if restored to the White House.
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