US commits new $625m in military aid to Ukraine

The United States has pledged to provide Ukraine with a new $625 million security assistance package that will include HIMARS launchers.

The pledge was made by US President Joe Biden to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, according to a statement from the White House.

Biden was joined in the call by U.S Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden underscored that Washington would never recognize Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory, the statement read.

Biden “promised to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression for as long as it takes,” according to the statement.

The aid package is the first since Russia’s newly announced takeover of Ukrainian land, and the second since Ukraine’s significant battlefield successes in mid-September.

In a strongly worded response, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States said Washington’s decision to send more military aid to Ukraine risks escalating the war.

Russia’s declared annexations last week followed what it called referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Western governments and Kyiv said the votes breached international law and were coercive and non-representative.

The U.S State Department said in a release that the package includes four HIMARS launchers and associated rockets, 32 Howitzers with 75,000 rounds of ammunition, 200 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and Claymore anti-personnel mines.

“Recent developments from Russia’s sham referenda and attempted annexation to new revelations of brutality against civilians in Ukrainian territory formerly controlled by Russia only strengthen our resolve,” the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.