The US government will allocate funds to cover the cost of various defence equipment and support for Ukraine – valued at $7.9bn – at a significant point in the war against invading Russian forces.
First, the State Department announced the allocation of $5.55bn in military assistance to Ukraine, informing Congress of the decision on 26 September 2024.
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These funds are derived from the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) for fiscal year 2024, which is due to expire on 30 September. It will cover the cost of defence articles and services from the Department of Defense stocks.
In addition, the government will also provide $2.4bn under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. These funds will provide air defence support, uncrewed aerial systems and air-to-ground munitions, bringing the total amount up to $7.9bn.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the US has sent approximately $56.3bn in security assistance to Ukraine though both sources of financing.
What can we make of these latest funds?
This latest commitment comes as part of a “surge” of US security assistance to the war-torn nation ahead of discussions with the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which convened that day.
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By GlobalDataUkraine’s forces are currently entrenched in a bitter struggle to repel marginal Russian advances in the Donbas, while occupying some 900 square kilometres in the Kursk region inside Russia.
Eager to break the static war in Eastern Europe, Zelenskyy has put forward a ‘Victory Plan’, which US President Joe Biden has agreed to explore “next steps” ahead of a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, Germany on 12 October.
Russia targets Ukrainian energy as winter looms
“First, right now we have to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield,” Biden told Zelenskyy, without providing an answer to Ukraine’s repeated requests for permission to fire long-range weapons (powered by American components) against targets deep inside Russia.
Already armed with British and French Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, with a range of up to 250km, and American long-range ATACMS, with a range of 300km, the ability to fire these weapons at launching sites and airbases on Russian territory will prove useful to combatting the challenge of Russian strikes.
“As of today,” Zelenskyy said during his speech to the United Nations on 25 September, “Russia has destroyed all our thermal power plants and a large part of our hydroelectric capacity.
“This is how Putin is preparing for winter – hoping to torment millions, millions of Ukrainians… Ordinary families – women, children… Ordinary towns, ordinary villages. Putin wants to leave them in the dark and cold this winter, forcing Ukraine to suffer and surrender.”
