President Joe Biden announced the U.S. will deliver a significant new security assistance package with advanced weaponry for Ukraine.
The arms package includes more advanced rocket systems that will enable Ukraine to reach the battlefield from longer distances, Blinken said in a June 1 video posted on the State Department's Twitter.
“Just this morning, President Biden announced a significant new security assistance package to arm Ukraine with additional capabilities in advanced weaponry; precisely what they need to defend themselves against the ongoing Russian aggression,” Blinken said in the video.
Biden attributed the security assistance package to $40 billion in funding approved by Congress in May, according to a White House statement released June 1.
The security assistance will arm Ukrainians with advanced weaponry that includes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System with battlefield munitions, Biden said in his statement.
The funding was passed in the Senate by an 86 to 11 vote in anticipation of a longer war in Ukraine. The Washington Post reported $20 billion was allocated toward military aid. Another $8 billion will be provided for general economic support, $5 billion in global food aid and more than $1 billion in support for refugees.
HIMARS are mobile units that can launch multiple missiles at the same time with great precision and accuracy, The Guardian reported. The HIMARS the U.S is providing to Ukraine have a range of about 50 miles, a statistic which The Guardian sourced from a U.S. official. The publication reported the U.S plans to limit the missiles’ range so Ukraine is unable to use them to hit targets deep inside Russia.
