WASHINGTON, December 21. /TASS/. The US will provide $1.85 bln in new military assistance to Ukraine, for the first time including the Patriot air defense system, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, $1 billion worth of assistance will be provided by the US State Department, and $850 million by the Pentagon.

"Today’s assistance for the first time includes the Patriot Air Defense System," the statement said.

At the same time, the White House released an order by US President Joe Biden delegating to the Secretary of State the authority to provide Kiev with up to $1 billion in assistance that was mentioned by Blinken.