BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) According to Reuters, on Jan. 31, local time, two U.S. officials familiar with the situation said that the U.S. is preparing to provide an additional $2 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine. long-range weapons and other weapons and ammunition.
According to reports, the two officials revealed that this round of aid will be announced as soon as this week.
It is expected to include the provision of the Patriot missile defense system, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
About $1.725 billion in the military aid package will be provided by Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds, one of the officials said.
This funding allows the Biden administration to purchase weapons directly from related industries without having to use the original U.S. weapons stockpile.
The USAI funds are expected to be used to purchase Boeing's Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), a new weapon with a range of 150 kilometers that would allow Ukraine to attack targets it had previously been unable to reach, helping to disrupt the Russian rear and Continue to counterattack.
In November 2022, Reuters reported that Boeing proposed to deploy "land-launched small diameter bombs" for Ukraine. At that time, it was estimated that this weapon might arrive in Ukraine this spring.
One of the officials also said USAI funds would also be used to purchase components for major weapons systems such as the HAWK air defense system, drone counter-defense system, air surveillance radar, communications equipment and the Puma drone .
The official added that this round of aid will also include a large amount of medical equipment, enough to form three field hospitals.
The White House declined to comment.
Before Biden officially signs the document, the content and scale of the military aid plan may increase further.
Since February 2022, the United States has provided Ukraine with security assistance worth more than $27.2 billion.