US approves $1.1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine

The Biden administration announced $1.1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine on September 28, bringing the US commitment to more than $16.2 billion since Russia’s invasion in late February.

The announcement of the upcoming aid package, the 22nd such instalment, follows referendums held in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine that are backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNBC reports. The votes, widely viewed as rigged and illegitimate, are to determine if Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson should become part of Russia. They’ve been criticized as a scheme by Putin to pave the way for Moscow to announce it has annexed more of Ukraine by the end of the week.

Earlier this week, the White House said the US would never acknowledge the results of the “sham referendum” and would continue providing Kyiv with military and humanitarian support.

The latest US security package consists of 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, as well as munitions for those systems, 150 armoured multipurpose vehicles, 150 tactical vehicles to tow weapons, 40 trucks and 80 trailers to transport heavy equipment, two radars for unmanned aerial systems, 20 multi-mission radars as well as secure communication systems and body armour.