The Blubber

The US has announced an additional $200 million in aid for Ukraine.

The package disclosed on Wednesday encompasses air defense weaponry like the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds, as stated by a U.S. official.

It also encompasses small arms ammunition, demolition munitions for overcoming Russian obstacles, counter-drone equipment, and electronic warfare gear.

This signifies the 48th instance where the U.S. has exercised the presidential drawdown authority to furnish Ukraine's military with equipment from U.S. stockpiles.

Since the outset of Russia's unprovoked invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has delivered approximately $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

As of now, the Pentagon retains around $5 billion in congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid. In June, it was revealed that the Pentagon had miscalculated the value of weapons shipped to Ukraine by approximately $6 billion. The error was attributed to the Defense Department including the cost of replacing the provided weapons in its aid package estimates, instead of considering the actual cost of the systems dispatched.

This aid package coincides with a meeting hosted by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Brussels on Wednesday, involving the Ukraine Defense Contact Group—a coalition of allies supporting Ukraine.