Blinken Announces $2 Billion in Military Aid for Ukraine as Russian Forces Advance

By Dave DeCamp

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $2 billion in new military aid for Ukraine as Russian forces continue to advance in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv oblast after launching a new offensive in the region this past Friday.

Blinken, who made the announcement in Kyiv, said the $2 billion is in the form of Foreign Military Financing, a State Department program that gives foreign governments money to purchase US weapons. The majority of the funds are being pulled from the $61 billion in new Ukraine aid recently authorized by Congress, although $400 million is coming from previously allocated funds.

Blinken would not detail the weapons that will be purchased with the $2 billion but said it would be spent in several different ways. “We put this together in a first-of-its-kind defense enterprise fund, and it has three components,” he said. “One is to provide weapons today, so this will assist Ukraine in acquiring those weapons.”

He said it would also be used to help build up Ukraine’s “defense industrial base” and “help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries, not just the United States, for Ukraine’s use.”

The new weapons package brings the total amount of US military aid announced since the $61 billion in spending on the proxy war was authorized to about $9 billion. Standing alongside Blinken, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba complained about “delays” in Western weapons shipments. “Every delay of supply results in setbacks on the front line. This is the general rule,” he said. “We appreciate the sincere commitment of the United States to compensate deliveries – delays in deliveries with new announcements and new deliveries.”

Blinken was asked if the US would allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to hit Russian territory, which risks a major escalation. Russia recently warned the UK that it could hit British military sites if Ukraine uses British-provided weapons in attacks that hit targets inside Russia.

Blinken claimed the US does not “encourage” or “enable” Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory but said it was ultimately a decision for Ukraine. “We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it’s going to conduct this war,” he said.

The new US military aid for Ukraine is not expected to help achieve victory but instead will just prolong the war. Russia’s push in Kharkiv is stretching Ukraine’s defensive lines thin, and they were already at risk of collapse. During Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, the Ukrainian military announced it was pulling back forces from some areas in Kharkiv, including Vovchansk, the largest village in the area where the fighting is focused.

“In some areas, around Lukyantsi and Vovchansk, in response to enemy fire and assaults from ground troops, and to save the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses, our units maneuvered and moved to more advantageous positions,” the Ukrainian military said.

Source: Antiwar

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave. View all posts by Dave DeCamp

Become a Patron!
Or support us at SubscribeStar
Donate cryptocurrency HERE

Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on SoMee, Telegram, HIVE, Minds, MeWe, Twitter – X, Gab, and What Really Happened.

Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.