Blinken Announces $1 Billion Ukraine Aid Package

Washington D.C./07.09.23/Turan:  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth more than $1 billion during his surprise visit to Kyiv, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The package includes the following, according to the State Department:

$175 million in security assistance, which includes air defense system components, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems for HIMARS, munitions, ammunition, and communications systems;

$100 million in Foreign Military Financing to support longer-term military requirements;

$90.5 million in humanitarian demining assistance;

$300 million to support law enforcement efforts to restore and maintain law and order in liberated areas, including cities and towns facing continuous shelling by Russia;

$206 million in humanitarian assistance to provide critical support including food, water, and shelter to those in Ukraine and those forced to flee to neighboring countries.

$5.4 million in forfeited oligarch assets to support veteran reintegration and rehabilitation;

And, $203 million for support to transparency and accountability of institutions, bolstering key reform efforts related to anti-corruption, rule of law and the justice sector; and to build capacity to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by Russia. This assistance will also support digitalization of recovery and reconstruction efforts by improving and ensuring the transparent procurement of infrastructure projects; health-governance to support the restoration of lifesaving services to enable economic recovery in Ukraine, strengthening public financial management practices to meet international standards.

Blinken's two-day trip to Kyiv included meetings with key Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his diplomatic counterpart Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, as well as civil society leaders.

Alex Raufoglu