Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin also said that the latest missile strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on targets in Ukraine have further strengthened the readiness of Western countries to provide further assistance to Kiev.BRUSSELS, October 12.
/tass/. The total amount of US military aid to Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special operation has reached $16.8 billion. This was stated on Wednesday by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the opening of a meeting in Brussels of a group created by Western countries to coordinate military assistance to Kiev.
"I am pleased to announce that under the leadership of President [Joe] Biden, the volume of security assistance to Ukraine from the United States <...> to date, it has reached $16.8 billion, and I am very grateful to our respected allies and partners who continue to provide their own assistance packages," he said.
Austin also claimed that the latest missile strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on targets in Ukraine have further strengthened the readiness of Western countries to provide further assistance to Kiev. "Our determination and the strength of our position have only strengthened," the head of state said The Pentagon.
"This contact group remains united and determined. We will continue to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities in relation to today's urgent needs, as well as in the long term," Austin added.
Washington has increased investments in military-industrial production in order to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, he said Austin.
"We have increased investments in the military-industrial base in order to respond to Kiev's defense requests, as well as our own," he said. Austin added that the United States and its EU and NATO allies are determined to provide Ukraine with even greater assistance after the strikes on its territory.
"We will produce and deliver this highly effective assistance over the next months and years in certain cases," the head of the defense department noted, recalling that two weeks ago the United States announced the allocation of another $1.1 billion package of military assistance to Ukraine, which includes "18 additional HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, hundreds of vehicles means, dozens of radars, protection systems against unmanned aerial vehicles and much more."
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. The West then imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia. Western states have increased the supply of weapons and military equipment to Kiev in the amount of billions of dollars.
