the president of United States, Joe Bidenapproved on Saturday a new aid of 200 million dollars in military equipment for Ukrainewhen Russia intensifies the bombardments against civilian areas.
In a memorandum addressed to the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkenand dated this Saturday, Biden authorizes the release of these funds “in defense material and services of the Defense Department“, as well as in “military training”, to “bring help to Ukraine“.
After funds unlocked at the end of 2021, Washington authorized an unprecedented $350 million in aid for military equipment on February 26, two-thirds of which was delivered on March 4, according to a Pentagon official.
This aid package was intended to “urgently provide Ukraine with the necessary ammunition, Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles,” the head of US diplomacy for political-military affairs explained to Congress, Jessica Lewis.
The announcement follows Russia’s threat this Saturday to target Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In an interview with the television channel Pervy Kanal, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Riabkov, said he had “warned United States” that these “convoys” were becoming “legitimate targets,” citing man-portable air defense systems and anti-tank missile systems.
The United States this week rejected a Polish offer to hand over its Mig-29 fighters to the US military for onward delivery to Ukraine, calling the proposal “risky” and likely to spark a Russian escalation.
The United States Congress on Thursday approved a new federal budget that includes nearly $14 billion in funding for the Ukraine crisis.