Western Countries Pledge Long-Term Support and New Military Aid for Ukraine

 

At a conference in Copenhagen, 26 countries agreed to give Ukraine $1.5 billion, but more funds are expected to be raised

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onAugust 11, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsUkraine

At a conference in Denmark on Thursday, 26 Western nations agreed to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia for the long term and pledged more than $1.5 billion in new military aid.

The $1.5 billion includes donations from the UK, Denmark, and Norway, but more countries are expected to pledge money. “It will grow,” said Danish Foreign Minister Morten Bødskov. “Some of the countries need to go back home and get the support of their parliaments.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the conference via video link, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov attended the meeting in person. Neither official specified what sort of weapons Ukraine was going to receive from the new aid.

The UK said Thursday that it would provide Ukraine with more multiple rocket launch systems that have a range of about 50 miles. Norway said that it will start training Ukrainian troops in Britain.

The new aid pledged by 26 nations on Thursday is just a fraction of what the US has been sending Ukraine. On Monday, the US announced $4.5 billion in budgetary aid for the Ukrainian government and a new $1 billion weapons package.

Ukraine is expecting to receive $3 billion of the new budgetary aid this month and for the remaining $1.5 billion to arrive in September. According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the new funds brings the total budgetary aid the US has provided Ukraine to $8.5 billion.

Since Russia invaded on February 24, the US has pledged over $9 billion in weapons for Ukraine. The funds are being pulled from the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill that President Biden signed into law back in May, which is meant to last through September 30.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/08/11/western-countries-pledge-long-term-support-and-new-military-aid-for-ukraine/