In an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. would be providing an additional $2.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine and other countries in Europe that are potentially threatened by Russian aggression.
The aid includes $2.2 billion in long-term military financing for Ukraine and 18 of its regional neighbors. In addition, Ukraine itself will receive another $675 million in direct military aid, including artillery, ammunition and armored vehicles.
About $1 billion of the military financing will go to Ukraine, with the rest divvied up among countries to the west of the Russian border, including Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, according to the Associated Press. The funds have already been appropriated by Congress, but lawmakers still must approve the actual spending.
Blinken noted that his surprise visit coincides with Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south. “It’s early days, but we’re seeing real effectiveness on the ground, and we’re proud of the fact that our support, the support of so many other countries, is helping to enable what the Ukrainians are doing and working to liberate territory seized by Russia in this aggression,” he told reporters.
Including the most recent announcement, the U.S. has now provided $15.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the State Department said in a statement.
