U.S. and European allies scramble to get weapons to Ukraine after months-long delay
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The United States and Ukraine's other partners are scrambling to get weapons to Ukraine after a prolonged delay in aid to the country, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken told CBS on May 12.
Responding to a question about whether Russia's advance into Kharkiv Oblast is a result of the aid delay, Blinken said:
"Look, there's no doubt there's been a cost in the months-long delay in getting the supplementary budget request approved and the equipment sent out to Ukraine.”
Read also: White House announces $400 million military aid package for Ukraine
“Just this week, we did a drawdown of about $400 million in defense equipment for Ukraine coming from the supplemental (aid package). So, we're doing everything we can to rush this assistance out there. The Europeans are doing the same,”
The U.S. and over 50 other countries are not backing down from supporting Ukraine, and assistance will continue, he added.
Read also: Ukraine needs a long-term, stand-alone US military aid bill — opinion
U.S. aid to Ukraine
After months of delay, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill providing over $60 billion in support for Ukraine on April 20.
The U.S. Senate also passed a bill providing aid to Ukraine on April 24.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the bill the same day, adding that deliveries would begin "immediately, within hours."
The aid package includes ammunition for air defense systems, artillery, missile systems, and armored vehicles, he added
The new aid package for Ukraine should last until the end of 2024, the White House stated.
The U.S. had secretly sent over 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in March, The New York Times reported.
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