U.S. military aid to help Ukraine defend against a possible invasion by Russia began arriving on Friday night, according to the American Embassy in Kyiv.
Bloomberg detailed that the embassy, in a Twitter post, said the material “includes close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine.” “The shipment – and $2.7 billion USD since 2014 – demonstrates U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russian aggression,” the embassy said in another tweet.
Photos with the tweets showed large green containers being unloaded at an airport. The embassy did not elaborate, or indicate what else was included, but said it was a first shipment of “assistance recently directed by” President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, the US Department of State said that Washington would continue delivering military assistance to Ukraine, with new supplies expected to arrive over the coming weeks. Moscow has repeatedly urged Washington to stop providing Kiev with weapons. In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of massing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for invasion.
Russia has dismissed these claims, maintaining that it has no intention of invading Ukraine while stressing that it has the right to move forces within its own territory. Russia has also expressed concern over NATO’s military activity near its borders and the ongoing military support for Ukraine, including an increase in the number of Western instructors in Donbas.
