This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new round of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, with nearly $368 million worth of assistance going on top of previously announced military support.
“Today, I can announce the United States will provide nearly $368 million in additional support,” Blinken said on July 9 following his meeting with Group of 20 (G20) ministers in Indonesia.
He said the aid would include “food, safe drinking water, cash assistance, emergency health care, shelter, as well as support to coordination among humanitarian organizations that are doing so much of this critical work on the ground.”
“More than 11 million people in Ukraine — 11 million people — have fled their homes since the aggression began. That is more than a quarter of Ukraine’s entire population. The needs are tremendous and they’ll only increase as the war continues,” he said.
Since Russia’s February 24 invasion, the United States has provided $1.28 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, USAID said.
Blinken said the United States has provided $7.2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its “brutal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” including $2.2 billion over the past several weeks.
On July 8, the White House announced a new weapons package worth up to $400 million, including four more high-mobility artillery rocket systems and more ammunition.
The rocket systems, known as HIMARS, allow Ukrainian forces to target Russian positions from further distances and with greater accuracy than regular artillery. With the new shipment, Ukraine will have 12 HIMARS in all in operation.