US announces new tranche of $6 billion in aid to Ukraine, which includes Patriot missiles

American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Friday a new military aid – worth six billion dollars – intended for Ukraine, in the context in which Washington tries to recover the delay in American supplies to Kiev, after months of impasse in Congress, reports AFP. The package includes Patriot missiles, writes The Associated Press, according to News.ro.

The new aid is the second announced this week, following a billion-dollar aid package for Kiev unveiled on Wednesday.

Those two sums are part of a $61 billion budget for Kiev’s assistance, passed by a vote this week in Congress and signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden, as Ukraine faces difficulties in its war against Russia.

The aid worth one billion dollars comes from American arms stocks, and the one announced on Friday from contracts with the defense industry or partners.

This means it takes longer to reach the battlefield.

After signing into law Wednesday $61 billion in massive military and economic aid to Ukraine, Joe Biden promised a swift and massive arms shipment.

The United States is the main military supporter of Kiev, but Congress has not approved this massive tire intended for its ally for almost a year and a half, mainly because of political squabbles.

Washington previously announced aid to Ukraine only once this year, $300 million in aid in March, which was made possible only by savings the Pentagon made on other purchases.

The adoption of this aid plan is a relief for the Ukrainian army, which is facing a shortage of recruits and ammunition against constant pressure from Russian troops in the east.

The authorities predict a degradation on the front possibly as early as mid-May.

The resumption of American aid will allow the Ukrainian army to regain the initiative against Russia.

But the preparation of a counteroffensive will take longer, an American military official estimated on Thursday.

“The Ukrainians have rationalized their ammunition for a while (…), so the Russians, to summarize, have resumed the initiative,” an American military official told the press under the protection of anonymity.

The military aid of the allies “will allow the Ukrainians to start taking the initiative again”, but “it will not be a quick process”, she added.

The reception and operational implementation of the new deliveries will take time, if only in terms of defending their positions. Therefore, I would not foresee any large-scale offensive in the first phase”, she declared.