Western allies pledge more money for Ukraine military

Brussels [Belgium], October 12: Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that the United States will provide a new $200 million military assistance package for Ukraine, as opposition from hardline Republican lawmakers puts future aid for Kyiv in doubt. "I'm proud that the United States will announce its latest security assistance package for Ukraine, valued at $200 million," Austin said alongside President VolodymyrZelensky at the opening of a meeting of Kyiv's international supporters in Brussels.
The package includes air defense munitions, artillery and rocket ammunition and anti-tank weapons, among other items, the US defense chief said. It is the first package announced since Congress dropped new funding for Kyiv from a recent bill to avert a US government shutdown - a move that called into doubt Washington's continued commitment to aiding Ukraine's fight against invading Russian forces. Austin nonetheless insisted Wednesday - as he has before - that the United States "will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."
Even in the absence of further action by Congress, the US government still has authority to withdraw more than $5 billion in equipment for Ukraine from American military stocks. A senior US official said there is no immediate cause for alarm when it comes to Ukraine assistance. "Even if we do have . some difficulties we have to work out within the US Congress, there is a lot of money there to still sustain the pace of support that we're accustomed to, and then allies are stepping forward with their own announcements," the official told journalists in Brussels.
"Zelensky's visit really couldn't have come at a better moment in a way, particularly if our goal is to signal continued support for Ukraine, even though there are challenges . within the US system." Washington is by far the biggest donor of military aid to Kyiv, and a cut to American assistance would be a major blow to Ukraine as it presses ahead with a slow-moving counteroffensive and readies for the second winter of the war.
Austin said the United States has committed some $43.9 billion in security assistance since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while all other donors have promised more than $33 billion. "I continue to firmly believe that our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine will hold fast in any season or any storm," he said.
Help clearing minefields
European allies are also allocating more funding to Ukraine. Britain and other northern European allies announced a new £100 million ($123 million) military support package Wednesday for Ukraine, aimed at helping its armed forces clear minefields, maintain vehicles and protect key infrastructure. The package, to be provided using money from the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), will provide equipment to help its soldiers cross minefields and bridge rivers and trenches, Britain's Ministry of Defence said (MoD).
It will also comprise heavy duty plant vehicles to destroy Russian non-explosive obstacles and help Ukraine build defensive positions to protect critical national infrastructure, it added. The new support comes as Kyiv's Western backers race to step up weapons deliveries ahead of winter after its summer offensive failed to muster the hoped-for gains on the battlefield. It also coincides with the final contracts having been signed from a previously announced IFU package that will see more than £70 million of air defense capabilities dispatched to Ukraine, according to the MoD.
They include the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin platform, which can track and destroy drones and protect infrastructure. Britain's recently appointed Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the new air defense systems would help protect civilians from Russia's "barbaric bombing campaign" against Ukraine. He added the new equipment pledged would "give Ukrainian soldiers what they need to breach Russia's deadly minefields". Shapps will jointly announce the support Wednesday alongside counterparts from IFU partner nations at a wider Ukraine-focused meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The IFU - a funding mechanism that uses contributions from international partners to procure military assistance for Ukraine - was launched by Britain and Denmark in 2022 and has raised £785 million to date. The contributions have come from its founders and five other members - Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland and Lithuania - and are administered by London.
Britain's Admiral Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the new package was "the latest in an unprecedented and sustained effort by 50 nations" to support Ukraine's war effort. He argued Russian President Vladimir Putin had underestimated "the strength and resilience of his opposition". "If we stick together, and stay the course, then Russia will continue to lose, Ukraine will prevail and the rules that matter to global security will endure," Radakin said. - AFP
Source: Kuwait Times