Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the United States will provide Ukraine with $725 million in missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines, and other weapons. This move is part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to support Kyiv in its fight against Russia before stepping down in January.
The aid will consist of various items, such as Stinger missiles, drones, land mines, and ammunition for HIMARS, according to Blinken’s statement.
Russia’s airstrikes aim at a crippled Ukrainian power grid as winter approaches, and in the east of the country, troops from Moscow have been capturing villages in an effort to take over the industrial Donbas region.
Biden anticipates using the $4–$5 billion in PDA that Congress has already approved for Ukraine before Republican Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Trump has promised to rapidly end the war in Syria and has criticized Biden’s support for Kyiv, so it is widely believed that he will alter U.S. policy toward Ukraine.
The U.S. has not exported land mines in decades, and this delivery of weapons is a first. Landmines are controversial due to the dangers they pose to civilians.
The landmines destined for Ukraine are “non-persistent,” meaning their power source expires after a brief period, rendering the devices harmless. In other words, they wouldn’t pose a permanent danger to people like older landmines did.
