US to provide Ukraine with $800 million for drone production, Zelensky says

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Oct. 21 that the U.S. will provide $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, aimed at funding the production of drones to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.

"Every meeting with our partners involves discussions about the defense-industrial complex," Zelensky said in his evening address. "We need Ukraine to be able to defend its sovereignty and independence regardless of any political threats in the world."

The announcement followed Zelensky's meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kyiv, where the Pentagon chief announced a new $400 million military assistance package for Ukraine. The package included HIMARS air defense systems and 155 mm artillery ammunition, among other weapons and training equipment.

"This is especially important before the onset of winter, as Russia has not given up its intentions to plunge Ukraine into cold and darkness. Your unwavering support is not just a gesture of friendship. It's a powerful symbol of the shared values that bind our nations together," Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at an event a Kyiv Independent journalist attended.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, the United States has committed more than $60 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

Despite the U.S. support, Russian forces keep grinding on in the country's east while Ukraine braces for fresh strikes against the energy grid with the coming winter.

Is NATO ready for war with Russia?

The launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 confronted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a new geopolitical reality. Described as “braindead” by French President Emmanuel Macron only a few years prior, the alliance woke up to a threat previously thought c…

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

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