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US releases list of weapons it has supplied to Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuelba said he wanted ‘weapons, weapons, weapons’

Graig Graziosi
Friday 08 April 2022 19:02 BST
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Related video: War in Ukraine ‘far from over’, says Joe Biden

The US has released a list of all of the weapons it has provided Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion of the country.

The list comes at a time when Ukrainian officials are pleading with the US to provide more military aid, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The memo, sent by the US Department of Defense and circulated by the White House on Thursday, claims the US has committed more than $1.7bn in security assistance and $2.4bn since Joe Biden took office.

"The administration is working around the clock to fulfill Ukraine’s priority security assistance requests, delivering weapons from U.S. stocks when they are available, and facilitating the delivery of weapons by allies and partners when their systems better suit Ukraine’s needs," the memo stated.

The memo provides specific counts of weapons that have already been sent to Ukraine. Those include at least 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, more than 5,000 Javelin anti-tank weapons, more than 7,000 small arms and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition.

The US has also reportedly sent 45,000 sets of body armour and helmets as well as laser guided rocket systems, night vision and thermal imaging devices, and numerous other items to aid in Ukraine's defence.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuelba plainly stated his country's need for arms during a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Brussels on Thursday.

“My agenda is very simple, it only has three items on it,” he said. “It’s weapons, weapons and weapons.”

The call for more weapons comes at a time when evidence of war crimes committed by Russian troops continues to emerge. During the NATO meeting in Brussels, the Group of Seven condemned the "atrocities committed by Russian armed forces" in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv.

They said the individuals responsible would be "held accountable."

Ukraine's western allies pledged to provide more arms in the wake of the attacks on civilians by Russian troops.

In addition to weapons, the US has also continued to ramp up sanctions against Russia and individual Russians, and has cut trade relations with the nation.

The Senate passed legislation on Thursdays suspending normal trade relations with Russia, and the US has placed sanctions on both of Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughters, claiming the leader is hiding his wealth with his family members.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

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