Ukraine receives US military aid worth more than $60m

Ukraine has received US military aid worth more than $60m, according to diplomats, following a freeze in assistance forced by the scandal around the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump.

Trump last year froze $400m in military aid to Ukraine while he allegedly sought help from the government to smear former US Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger in the November presidential election.

The US president was impeached for abuse of power and put on trial in the Senate, where overwhelming support from the Republican Party led to his acquittal.

The first round of military assistance since the freeze included “radios, ammunition, and Javelin anti-tank missiles”, the US embassy in Kyiv wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

“The United States stands strongly with Ukraine in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression,” it said.

Ukraine-Russia conflict

Ties between Ukraine and Russia were shredded after a bloody 2014 uprising toppled the Kremlin-backed government in Kyiv. 

Moscow went on to annex Crimea and support separatists in eastern Ukraine who launched a bid for independence in 2014. 

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the continuing conflict.

The US Department of Defense announced last week it was resuming military assistance to Ukraine.

The Pentagon said $250m would be released to assist with Ukraine’s military capabilities and help “to counter Russian cyber offensive operations and misinformation”.