TEHRAN, April 27 (MNA) – The US will provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a massive $6bn additional aid package, the defense secretary has announced.“This is the largest security assistance package that we’ve committed to date,” Lloyd Austin said after the conclusion of a virtual meeting of dozens of Kyiv’s international supporters.

The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot systems.

The package also includes more munitions for the national advanced surface-to-air missile systems, or Nasams, and additional gear to integrate western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars into Ukraine’s existing weaponry, much of which still dates back to the Soviet era, the Guardian reported.

The package is the second this week, following another valued at $1bn that was announced just after the US president, Joe Biden, signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as it struggles to hold back Russian advances.

But unlike the $1bn package announced on Wednesday, which featured items that will be drawn from US stocks, the latest assistance will be procured from the defense industry, meaning it will take longer to arrive on the battlefield.

The meeting fell on the second anniversary of the group, which Austin said had “moved heaven and earth” since April 2022 to source millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket systems, armored vehicles, and even jets to help Ukraine rebuff Russia’s attack.

SD/PR