U.S. announces additional security assistance for Ukraine worth over 2 bln USD

This photo taken on Feb. 3, 2023 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced Friday an additional round of security assistance for Ukraine with a total value of 2.2 billion U.S. dollars. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced Friday an additional round of security assistance for Ukraine with a total value of 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.

The latest package was divided into two parts - 425 million dollars through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, and 1.75 billion dollars from the congressionally-approved Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, according to a statement from the Defense Department.

What's particularly noticeable in the materiel are long-range rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS missile launchers that the United States have provided for Ukraine.

The new rockets are GPS-guided Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) with a range of roughly 90 miles, more than doubling the 40-mile range that previous U.S.-provided HIMARS-compatible missiles have.

The GLSDB's range, however, falls short compared to that of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has long been sought by Ukraine but refused by the United States for fear of escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The ATACMS has a range of nearly 200 miles.

The U.S. government will contract with weapons manufacturers to provide the GLSDB, as well as two HAWK air defense firing units and unspecified "equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine's air defense systems." That means it will be months away from the actual delivery of these weapons.

The United Sates has committed more than 29.3 billion dollars in security assistance for Ukraine since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out nearly a year ago, according to the Pentagon's statement.