Ukraine will receive more than 322 million dollars, while the remainder will be distributed among the Central and Eastern European countries, Blinken told reporters waiting for him in Poland, after his visit to Kiev.

The aid will not come in arms, but in financial tranches so that the designated nations, included Ukraine, can purchase the batches of armaments they need.

According to the US Government sources quoted by AP news agency, that support will help Kiev to confront Russian troops and militias in the Donbass region and will help the Ukrainian armed forces to switch to more advanced weapons and air defense systems, mainly from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

With the new budget, the volume of Washington’s military assistance to Ukraine will amount to three and a half billion dollars.

Blinken further reported on the gradual resumption of the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine. “Beginning this week, members of that team could make daily visits to Ukraine,” he noted.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics requested help to repel the increase in aggression and the heavy air strikes from Kiev.

pgh/iff/jf/mml