Part of a $60 million security assistance package, including small arms and ammunition, was delivered to Ukraine on Thursday, according to a State Department official in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, but a final delivery containing four counter mortar radars is still scheduled for early next year.
President Joe Biden approved the package on September 1 as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House. The assistance included lethal elements, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as nonlethal elements, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.
The security package is designed to bolster Ukraine's self-defense capability, especially in light of the buildup of Russian forces near the country's borders. The US has watched the movements with growing concern, and US officials have been in touch with their NATO and European counterparts to coordinate a response should Russian President Vladimir Putin decide to invade Ukraine.
This year, the US has delivered approximately $450 million in security assistance to Ukraine, Kirby said, including the elements arriving this week. Since 2014, when Russia invaded and occupied the Crimean peninsula, the US has provided more than $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine.