Key Takeaways
- The US has committed over $62 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Biden Administration.
- This includes $61.4 billion in military aid since February 24, 2022, when Russia’s special military operation started.
- The US has provided Ukraine with significant military aid, including antipersonnel mines, which has been criticized by Russia and the Kremlin.
Washington: The total volume of US military aid to Ukraine under US President Joe Biden has exceeded $62 billion, the US department of Defense said.
“The United States has committed more than $62 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration,” the department said in a statement.
This includes $61.4 billion in military aid since February 24, 2022, when Russia’s special military operation started.
Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the allocation of another $725 million military aid package to Ukraine, which also included another batch of antipersonnel mines.
Ukraine ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2005, it prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of antipersonnel mines. Earlier, Mark Hiznay, a member of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), told journalists during the presentation of the Landmine Monitor 2023 report that Ukraine had already violated the Ottawa Convention banning antipersonnel mines during the fighting in the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement, directly involving NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. According to Lavrov, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine with weapons by the West did not contribute to negotiations and would have a negative effect.
