“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(1) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to an aggregate value of $200 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown,” the statement said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the “package will include further defensive assistance to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing.”

“This drawdown will bring the total security assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to more than $1.2 billion since the beginning of the Administration,” he added.

According to security sources, the package, which includes Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles, will be shipped into Ukraine from existing US military stockpiles elsewhere in Europe. (ILKHA)