Washington is reportedly shifting to a ‘longer-term campaign’ as it prepares another round of assistance for Kiev
Ukrainian soldiers operate a drone near the Mykolaiv region, Ukraine, August, 8, 2022. © AP / Evgeniy Maloletka
The United States will soon unveil another $3 billion in aid for Ukrainian forces, officials told multiple media outlets, hoping to finance a variety of new weapons for Kiev following six months of fighting with Russia.
According to US officials cited by the Associated Press, Reuters and CBS on Tuesday, the new aid package will be announced on August 24 to coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day, which also happens to fall exactly six months after Moscow launched its military operation in February.
Drawn from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the money will fund ammunition, arms and other military hardware, including at least three different drone systems, such as the hand-launched Puma drone, the longer-range ScanEagle surveillance vehicle, as well as the UK-made Vampire drone, which has not previously been provided to Kiev.
However, officials told the AP that some of the gear “may not see the battlefront for a year or two,” reflecting an increasingly long-term vision adopted by the Joe Biden administration. Washington’s latest aid package will be aimed at “helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture,” the outlet added, in contrast to previous shipments which focused on more immediate priorities.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also spoke of the need to support Ukraine “for the long-term” during a speech on Tuesday, saying the alliance would back Kiev “for as long as it takes” while predicting a bitter, “grinding war of attrition” with Russia. Most of the alliance’s members have provided various forms of assistance to Kiev, some even offering fighter jets and major air defense platforms, and have joined a broader Western sanctions campaign against Moscow.
The Biden administration has devoted tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine since fighting erupted earlier this year, much of it spent on weapons and ammunition, and has vowed to keep up that support even as senior military officials claim that fighting could rage on for “years” to come.
