KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday as the Biden administration announced major new military aid worth more than $2.8 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia.
In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Blinken said the Biden administration had notified Congress of its intent to provide $2.2 billion in long-term military financing to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO members and regional security partners, that are “potentially at risk of future Russian aggression.”
“President (Joe) Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Blinken said in a statement. “I reiterated this message to President Zelenskyy and his team today in Kyiv, which remains ̶ and will remain ̶ the capital of a sovereign, independent Ukraine.”
The new funding and military weapons are designed to provide enduring training and support for what U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called a “very deliberate” counteroffensive that Ukrainian troops have launched to retake territory gained by the Russians in the south and east.
The White House said Biden was holding a call with allies and partners “to underscore our continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression.”
The foreign military financing is on top of a separate $675 million package of heavy weaponry, ammunition and armored vehicles for Ukraine alone that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Milley announced earlier Thursday at a conference in Ramstein, Germany.
“We are seeing real and measurable gains from Ukraine in the use of these systems,” said Milley. He said Russia is suffering significant equipment and troop losses. But, he added, “The war is not over. Russia is a big country. They have very serious ambitions with respect to Ukraine. So sustainment of Ukraine to continue their fight for their survival will be necessary.”
Pending expected congressional approval, about $1 billion of the $2.2 billion will go to Ukraine and the rest will be divided among Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the State Department said.
It will help those countries “deter and defend against emergent threats to their sovereignty and territorial integrity” by enhancing their military integration with NATO and countering “Russian influence and aggression,” the department said.
“This assistance demonstrates yet again our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s future as a democratic, sovereign, and independent state, as well as the security of allies and partners across the region,” it said.
Asked about continued congressional support for the massive aid packages, Austin said the administration will provide its rationale to lawmakers, and “I fully expect that it will continue to receive broad bipartisan support because our leaders recognize how important this is.”
Foreign military financing allows recipients to purchase U.S.-made defense equipment, often depending on their specific needs.
The package announced by Austin includes howitzers, artillery munitions, Humvees, armored ambulances, anti-tank systems and more that is intended to assist Ukraine with its shorter-term needs as it presses a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Austin said “the war is at another key moment.”
“Now we’re seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield,” he said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was attended by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine’s defense minister as well as officials from allied countries.
Germany and the Netherlands will provide training in demining to Ukrainian soldiers as well as demining equipment, the countries’ defense ministers said on the sidelines of the meeting with Austin. The training will be carried out in Germany. The two countries previously joined forces to send howitzers to Ukraine.
