US authorizes $200M in defense aid for Ukraine

 

US President Joe Biden authorized $200 million in additional military equipment for Ukraine Saturday, as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine and Russian forces are expanding their offensive.

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said that he had authorized $200 million in defensive assistance for Ukraine following a request from President Biden. 

“I have immediately authorized today, pursuant to a delegation by the President, a fourth Presidential Drawdown of up to $200 million for additional military assistance for Ukraine’s defense," said in a statement.

"This package will include further defensive assistance to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing," he continued.Washington already authorized $350 million of military equipment on February 26 — the largest such package in US history.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pleas for help have grown increasingly desperate, and he has repeatedly urged Washington, the EU, and NATO for help.

Russia is already warning to target supplies of Western weapons in Ukraine and that the pouring in of weapons would turn convoys “into legitimate targets.”

The latest US authorization of military aid comes two days after the US State Department ruled out proposals to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine via an American base, saying Kyiv’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion would be better served by the supply of ground-based weapons.

Washington had previously authorized $60 million in military assistance to Ukraine last fall, followed by another $200 million in December for weapons and ammunition.

Biden has ruled out direct US action inside Ukraine, warning that the ensuing battle against nuclear-armed Russia would lead to “World War III.”

In a video message recorded outside his presidential office in Kyiv, President Zelensky appeal to the EU “do more” to help his country.