U.S. Sends Additional $1.1 Billion In Security Assistance To Ukraine

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced $1.1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine, bringing the U.S. commitment to more than $16.2 billion since February, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The Pentagon announced a new package featuring 18 new HIMARS. It also consists of munitions for those systems, 150 armored multipurpose vehicles, 150 tactical vehicles to tow weapons, 40 trucks and 80 trailers to transport heavy equipment, two radars for unmanned aerial systems, 20 multi-mission radars as well as secure communication systems and body armor.

The announcement of the upcoming aid package, the 22nd such installment, follows sham "referendums" held in 4 Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine that are backed by the Kremlin.

"This is the will of Moscow, not the free will of Ukraine or its people," State Department's spokesperson Ned Price told reporters when commenting on Russia's announcement of "pre-baked results" of its sham referenda.

"Let’s be clear: The results are completely fabricated and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine" Price said.

"Because we’ve seen this movie before, we know what will come next. We expect Russia to use these sham referenda as a false pretext to attempt to annex Ukraine’s territory," Price added.

But no matter what President Putin and his enablers try to claim, Price said, "these areas are and will remain part of Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to continue to defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity."

The United States "will never recognize" Russia’s attempts to annex parts of Ukraine, according to Price.

"Quite the opposite. We will continue to work with allies and partners to bring even more pressure on Russia and the individuals and entities that are helping support its attempted land grab. You can expect additional measures from us in the coming days," he said,

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.