U.S. to provide additional 2 bln USD in military aid for Ukraine

KIEV, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that his country will provide an additional 2 billion U.S. dollars in military aid for Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The funding will be directed toward providing weapons for Ukraine in the near future, Blinken said at the press conference in Kiev with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Besides, the money will be used for purchasing weapons and investing in Ukraine's military-industrial sector, Blinken said.

Though the U.S. is committed to helping Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, it "has not encouraged or enabled strikes" outside of Ukraine, Blinken said.

"Ukraine has to make its own decisions about how to wage war," he was cited as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.

Last month, the U.S. approved a long-delayed support package for Ukraine worth about 61 billion U.S. dollars. The package includes 49.9 billion dollars for military assistance, according to the Ukrainian government.