U.S. to send Ukraine more rocket systems in new weapons package

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States will provide Ukraine with an additional 450 million U.S. dollars' worth of security assistance, including four more advanced rocket systems, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.

Among the items that Washington pledged to Kiev in the latest weapons package were four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 18 patrol boats for monitoring coasts and rivers, more ammunition, as well as small arms such as grenade launchers and machine guns.

The package will be drawn from the Pentagon's existing stocks, marking the 13th time the administration has done so to arm Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

The United States, according to a statement from the Pentagon, has now committed approximately 6.8 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of President Joe Biden's administration, including approximately 6.1 billion dollars since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.