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US announces $425 mln military assistance package for Ukraine

"The package includes additional air defense capability, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles, and critical munitions to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs," the statement says

US President Joe Biden Andrew Harnik/ Getty Images

US President Joe Biden

© Andrew Harnik/ Getty Images

WASHINGTON, October 16. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden announced a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth $425 million, including air defense equipment, the White House said in a statement.

“Today, the president announced a $425 million security assistance package for Ukraine that includes additional air defense capability, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles, and critical munitions to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs,” said the statement that followed phone talks between Biden and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

“The United States will provide Ukraine with a range of additional capabilities, including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles,” the White House statement said.

According to the US Department of Defense, the new assistance package includes ammunition for NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, Stinger man-portable surface-to-air missile systems and RIM-7 anti-aircraft missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, ammunition for TOW anti-armor systems, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, along with vehicles, small arms and ammunition. The Pentagon said the US has provided Ukraine with a total of $59.1 billion in military assistance since the start of the special military operation and $59.8 billion since the beginning of President Biden’s term.

According to the White House, a virtual leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will take place in November.

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