Today at 20:01
The United States agreed to provide Ukraine with new defense aid in the total amount of 7.9 billion dollars. They also approved the introduction of sanctions against Russia.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I am grateful to US President Joseph Biden, the US Congress and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, and the entire American people for today’s announcement,” he said.
As noted, the package will include: an additional Patriot air defense battery, other means of air defense and interceptors, drones, long-range missiles and air-to-ground ammunition, as well as funds for strengthening the defense and industrial base of Ukraine.
“I also appreciate the decision to expand programs to train more of our pilots to fly the F-16, as well as the strong sanctions implemented to further limit Russia’s ability to finance its aggression against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote.
As a reminder, the deadline for using the 6.2 billion dollars that the United States has allocated to help Ukraine within the framework of the presidential disarmament authority (PDA) expires already on September 30. Therefore, the White House conducted urgent negotiations with Congress to send aid of this amount to Ukraine before this possibility “burns out”.
Back in the spring, the USA approved a law on aid to Ukraine worth more than 60 billion dollars. Its primary tool is the Presidential Drawdown Authority, a presidential drawdown order that allows the US president to transfer defense goods and services from the US stockpile in response to emergency situations. Of the total aid package, the PDA covers $7.8 billion.
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