Ukraine Receives Weapons From The US Worth IDR 2.8 Trillion, Foreign Minister Blinken Warns Russia

Ukrainian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/president.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Ukraine received a shipment of weapons from the United States (US) which split in two waves over the weekend, amid heightened tensions with Russia and the US Secretary of State issued a warning.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Sunday the country had received a second arms shipment from the United States as part of defense assistance worth $200 million.

The delivery is inseparable from Washington's statement that it will continue to support Ukraine amid concerns in Kyiv and among its Western allies, along with the presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. Russia categorically denies planning a military attack.

"Second delivery in Kyiv! More than 80 tons of weapons to strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine from our friends in the US! And this is not the end," Reznikov wrote on Twitter, citing Reuters on January 24.

The day before, some 90 tonnes of 'lethal' security aid, including ammunition, from a package approved by the US in December arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.

The shipments follow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Kyiv this week, amid concerns from Kyiv and its Western allies over the tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed on the border with Ukraine. Russia denies planning a new military strike.

"The United States will continue to provide such assistance to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their ongoing efforts to defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression," he said on Facebook, thanking the United States for the assistance.

Early Sunday, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken reinforced his warnings against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying "an additional Russian troop" entering Ukraine "in an aggressive manner" would result in a strong response by the US and its allies.

"If an additional Russian troop entered Ukraine in an aggressive manner, as I said, it would trigger a swift, violent and united response from us and from Europe," Foreign Minister Blinken told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union', as quoted.