Washington continues to provide military support to Kyiv as the Russian military operation in Ukrainian territories persists. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States will provide an additional $100 million in security assistance to Ukraine, which will include anti-armor systems. Blinken stated in a statement, "I have authorized the immediate release of $100 million in security assistance to meet Ukraine's urgent need for more anti-armor systems, based on a mandate from the President that I received earlier today."
In this context, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed on Tuesday that drones will be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible, indicating that Washington is sending additional assistance valued at $1 billion.
Austin added that the United States will send a different type of drone, the Switchblade, which features an anti-armor warhead, as reported by Reuters. He also clarified during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee that the Switchblade 300 and 600 models will be deployed as quickly as possible. According to AeroVironment, the manufacturer of the drones, the 600 model includes an anti-armor warhead and can fly over the target for more than 40 minutes.
It is noted that the U.S. Department of Defense announced on Friday that it would allocate an additional $300 million in "security assistance" to Ukraine to enhance its defensive capabilities. Spokesperson John Kirby stated that "the United States has now committed more than $2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the Biden administration took office, including more than $1.6 billion in military assistance since the unprovoked attack by Russia."
The new assistance package includes laser-guided missile systems, "kamikaze" drones of the Switchblade model, as well as lightweight Puma drones. The United States has allocated $6.9 billion to assist Ukraine in facing the Russian attack and to support NATO member countries, according to the budget proposal published by President Joe Biden's administration last Monday.
Washington has increased its assistance to Ukraine following the Russian military operation, including providing security assistance and new equipment worth $2 billion, in addition to $1 billion in humanitarian aid announced by the White House last week.
