(Credit: US DOD)    U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III

By  Gary  Raynaldo    –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv Monday. The assistance includes additional ammunitions, armored vehicles and antitank weapons.

Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in his fourth visit to Ukraine as Secretary of Defense. “We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty at a critical time in the war,” Austin said after the meeting on social media platform X. “The United States stands firmly with Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”

President Zelensky said in a social media post on X that the two discussed “critical defense priorities” including Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, preparations for the winter period, and the expansion of long-range weapon use against Russian military targets. He added that talks also focused on efforts to increase the production of strike drones, cruise missiles, and air defense systems.

The US has committed more than $60.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration, including approximately $59.5 billion since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022.