US Secretary of State announces an additional $700 million cut in military aid to Ukraine

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $700 million reduction in armaments and equipment sent to Ukraine.

The 11th drawdown is part of the $40 billion supplementary appropriations package.

In a statement, Blinken said, “US military assistance will boost Ukraine’s position to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, secure battlefield wins, and eventually strengthen Ukraine’s position at the bargaining table.”

“By closing Ukrainian ports, the Kremlin has only succeeded in destroying villages, brutalizing individuals, damaging Ukraine’s agriculture, and endangering world food security. The fortitude of Ukraine’s brave warriors in defending their country is remarkable, and Ukraine has demonstrated that it will never submit to Russia “Blinken added.

Blinken concluded his comments by pledging that the United States and its allies “will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

According to the Department of Defense, the latest package of security support for Ukraine from the Biden administration includes HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, as well as 1,000 additional Javelin missiles and launch sites for those missiles.

At a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, Defense Department Undersecretary for Policy Colin Kahl claimed that these weapons will provide Ukraine with “important capabilities to enable Ukrainians repel the Russians.”

On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov “to review Ukraine’s military requirements,” according to the Pentagon.

“Secretary Austin emphasized the success of the Ukraine Contact Group meeting on May 23 and the international community’s solidarity in backing Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggression,” Kahl added.

Since Congress enacted the $40 billion supplemental financing bill for Ukraine help in May, the Biden administration has unveiled the first presidential drawdown authority security assistance package.

Since the beginning of the Biden administration, the US has contributed “roughly $5.3 billion dollars in security aid to Ukraine,” according to Kahl, and $4.6 billion since the beginning of Russia’s incursion on Feb. 24.