The US announces a new military aid package to Ukraine valued at 477 million euros

MADRID Dec. 13 () –

The United States Government announced this Thursday a new military aid package to Ukraine valued at 500 million dollars (477) million euros, highlighting that the US President, Joe Biden, will “continue” to provide aid “until the end” of his term, which ends on January 20, the date on which his predecessor, Donald Trump, will take office.

“I want to highlight that today the president approved a new military aid package for Ukraine that will provide them with additional air defenses, artillery, drones and armed vehicles. It is the 72nd such package announced by the United States. And as the president has made clear “We will continue to provide additional packages until the end of this Administration,” White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference.

When asked about Trump’s criticism of the government’s permission for Ukrainian forces to use long-range missiles, Kirby stressed that Biden’s policy has been to “do everything possible” to “make sure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself in a safe manner.” that, if there were to be some kind of negotiation,” the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, “is in the best possible position, has the greatest possible influence, has the greatest possible success on the battlefield, to carry out that negotiation” .

“That has included additional policy guidance that President Biden issued not long ago to allow some long-range missile systems to be used to help Ukraine defend itself across that border, and that policy remains in place,” he explained. the spokesperson.

For his part, the Secretary of the United States Department of State, Antony Blinken, has detailed that this new announced package includes ammunition for HIMARS artillery systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARM), among other weapons, such as drones or security equipment. chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection.

In fact, during the day, Zelensky visited a combat brigade located on the front of the province of Zaporizhzhia (partially occupied by Russia), where HIMARS systems are being used. “Our men are very open about these systems and are extremely grateful to the US for providing them. HIMARS are an excellent example of superior, highly accurate, effective and reliable US weapons,” he said.

“Without these long-range missiles, Russia would have killed hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians. Having the means to protect itself from Russian terrorism is a matter of life and death for the Ukrainian people,” he said, arguing that the HIMARS “were fundamental in the defense of the Kherson region against the Russians” and “helped thwart the Russian offensive in Sumi earlier this year.” “They are now helping to defend the most difficult areas on the Donetsk front against Russian attacks,” he added.

The Ukrainian president has asserted that if his troops had not had “these and other powerful long-range weapons, the Russians would have captured and destroyed many more Ukrainian cities and towns,” because long-range capabilities “avoid loss of life.” “. “It is one thing to lose ammunition and missiles to stop the occupiers, but another to lose lives as a result of the lack of such defense capabilities,” he said.

In this sense, he thanked Washington for its “help in reducing the loss of life” and declared that “strengthening positions is essential to guarantee peace.” “Russian thugs can only be dissuaded and forced to accept peace through force. And that peace through force is achievable,” he concluded through a statement published on his profile on the social network X.