WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - The United States has announced a new $600m security assistance package for Ukraine that includes demolition munitions, mine-clearing equipment, artillery shells and other weaponry, just a day after pledging $1bn in new military and humanitarian aid for Kyiv.
The Pentagon said on Thursday what it called the security assistance package for Ukraine includes demolition munitions and mine-clearing equipment as well as artillery ammunition.
The package falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which Washington procures equipment from the Pentagon or partners rather than drawing from U.S. stocks.
The package will “support Ukraine’s battlefield needs” and demonstrates “unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The announcement came a day after Washington pledged more than $1 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Kiev.
Washington said on Wednesday that controversial depleted uranium ammunition is part of the new security assistance package, despite global concerns about serious health problems caused by such ammunition.
The U.S. promise of depleted uranium rounds came about two months after Washington said it would provide cluster munitions to Ukraine.
Kiev has already received more than $43 billion from the U.S. in the form of weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition, including widely-banned cluster munitions, since February 2022 when Russia started a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
A number of Republican presidential hopefuls have questioned the US aid to Ukraine, fuelling concerns over whether Washington will still support Kiev at the same level once the U.S. 2024 election campaign intensifies.
Depleted uranium munitions are notorious due to their association with health problems such as cancer and birth defects in areas where they were used in past conflicts.
Russia has harshly criticized the U.S. decision to provide the depleted uranium munitions.
Russia has repeatedly warned that the influx of Western weapons will only prolong the war and add to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns about the haphazard military shipments to Ukraine.
‘Russia Repelled Numerous Ukrainian Attacks Along Front Line’
On Friday, Russia said it had repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along the front line and inflicted hundreds of losses on enemy forces, challenging Kyiv’s assertion that Ukraine was making slow but steady progress in a counteroffensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday singled out military units in the east and south for their fighting and military officials reported some breakthroughs in Bakhmut and near the village of Robotyne.
Moscow said its forces had stood their ground though.
“In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern grouping of troops, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, repelled 12 attacks,” the Russian defence ministry said.
“In the Zaporizhzhia direction, units of the Russian group of troops during the day repelled five attacks,” it added.
Russia said Ukrainian losses totalled nearly 1,000 men over 24 hours in the battles. Reuters is unable to verify battlefield reports by either side.