US Announces Military Aid To Ukraine Despite Moscow Criticism, Foreign Minister Blinken: Russia Starts War

West armored vehicle assistance for Ukraine. (Twitter/@DefenceU)

JAKARTA - The United States has again announced military aid for Ukraine, although Moscow has previously criticized it by Moscow saying Washington ignored the warnings.

The latest security aid package worth US$250 million or around Rp. 3,807,537,500,000 was announced by Foreign Minister Antony Blinken.

Foreign Minister Blinken explained that the aid package includes air defense missiles, artillery ammunition, Javelin systems and rockets, as well as mine cleaning equipment.

"These weapons and equipment packages, valued at $250 million, are being carried out based on a recall previously aimed at Ukraine," he explained.

The US will also supply ambulance needs as well as spare parts, training, and transportation, Blinken said.

"Russia started this war and could end it at any time by withdrawing its troops from Ukraine, stopping its brutal attacks," Foreign Minister Blinken said.

"Until that happens, the United States and our allies and partners will remain united with Ukraine, as long as necessary," he said.

So far, the United States has provided military aid worth more than $43 billion to Ukraine since the February Russian invasion last year, as quoted by Reuters.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden had asked the United States Congress to approve an additional 24 billion US dollars in aid.

Both Democratic and Republican Party members in Congress supported Ukraine's aid. But some members of the far-right Republican Party, especially those allied with former President Donald Trump, wanted the aid to be reduced.

As previously reported, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western countries ignored all warnings from Russia about the risk of spreading weapons supplied to Ukraine worldwide, sparking potential conflicts in various regions.

"Today the United States and NATO as well as the European Union are saving their own geopolitical projects to confine Russia and divide Russia's world of pumping more sophisticated weapons into Ukraine, triggering conflict and provoking uncontrolled deployments (arms) around the world," Foreign Minister Lavrov said on the sidelines of Moscow's 11th International Security Conference., reported TASS.

"All our warning signals were ignored or heavily distorted for propaganda purposes," he stressed.

"Quite a lot of facts that illustrate this have been presented. (West) is irresponsible and significantly increases the threat of direct military clashes between nuclear forces," Foreign Minister Lavrov said.