The United States announced a $300 million aid package for Kiev on March 12 (representative)
Washington has given Ukraine small arms and ammunition seized while being sent by Iranian forces to Tehran-backed rebels in Yemen, the US military said on Tuesday.
The transfer came last week as Ukraine faces significant ammunition shortages and US Republican lawmakers are blocking new aid, but it does not meet Kiev’s need for key items such as artillery and air defense munitions.
“The US government has transferred over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and more than 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media on Thursday.
“These weapons will help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion” and are sufficient material to equip a brigade, the report said.
The weapons and ammunition were seized from four “stateless ships” between May 2021 and February 2023 while the supplies were being transferred from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to Yemen’s Huthi rebels, CENTCOM said.
“The government obtained ownership of these munitions through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture actions on December 1, 2023,” the report said.
The Huthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in attacks they say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza – a significant international security challenge that threatens a key shipping route.
Deadlock in Congress over aid
“Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our armed forces, diplomatic personnel and civilians in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do everything we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities. ‘, CENTCOM said.
Washington made a similar transfer to Ukraine in early October, delivering 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds of ammunition that were seized by Iranian forces en route to Yemen.
But the supply of crucial artillery and air defense munitions to Ukraine has been held up by Republican lawmakers who have held up a $60 billion aid package in the US Congress since last year, and Kiev’s forces have had to ration the ammunition amid uncertainty over when the next deliveries will take place. will arrive.
The United States announced a $300 million aid package for Kiev on March 12 – the first since December – that included anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons and artillery shells, but warned at the time that it would run out after a few weeks. .
That package was financed with money the Pentagon had saved on other purchases, allowing the U.S. government to provide relief despite the gridlock in Congress.
U.S. officials have led the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly building a coalition to support Kiev after Russia invaded in 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
Washington is by far Kiev’s largest donor of security aid and has provided tens of billions of dollars to help Kiev since the invasion.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
