New Delhi: US President Joe Biden tasked his administration with providing additional military aid to Ukraine, including four HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) and up to 580 Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in The White House John Kirby has said.
In his words, the additional package of US military aid also includes 36,000 rounds for previously delivered mortars and anti-tank systems.
The aid is estimated at around $270 million in total, the official added. The cost of the Phoenix Ghost UAVs, produced specifically for Ukraine, stands at around $100 million, Kirby said.
This authorization, along with the Defense Department’s parallel announcement of $770 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding, will bring total U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to more than $6.92 billion since Russia launched its brutal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
(Vinayak)