US boosts arms aid for embattled nation

The US will provide an additional US$1.1 billion (NZ$1.9b) in aid to Ukraine, with funding for 18 more advanced rocket systems and other weapons to counter drones that Russia has been using against Ukrainian troops, the Biden Administration announced yesterday. The latest package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts to purchase weapons and equipment. And it brings the total of US aid to Ukraine to nearly US$17b since the Biden Administration took office. It could take a year or two for Ukraine to get the systems.