The funding, announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv on September 8, makes Poland "one of the largest recipients of foreign military assistance outside of Ukraine" and is intended to build Poland's capacity to "deter and defend against the increased threat from Russia," the US embassy said in a statement.
It added that Poland "has delivered extraordinary support to Ukraine" in the face of Russia’s invasion.
The funds "will speed the backfill of capabilities Poland has been able to provide from its own stocks to add to Ukraine’s defense, including main battle tanks," according to the statement.
"We continue to encourage countries to donate urgently needed capabilities to Ukraine, as well as to begin contracting defense companies to get a jump start on producing further capabilities for Ukraine as soon as possible," the US embassy also said in its statement.
"This financing is part of a comprehensive package, announced on September 8, of Foreign Military Financing to bolster the security of Ukraine and 17 of its neighbors, including Poland, which are potentially at risk of future Russian aggression," it added.
US Ambassador Mark Brzezinski tweeted in Polish that Poland "has been providing military and humanitarian support for Ukraine with all its might since the beginning of the war" and "is an example to follow for the whole world."
Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said that Congress' decision was "in line with the need to strengthen the eastern flank of NATO," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
"We believe that deterrence is the essence of preventing war and ensuring peace," Rau told reporters after talks in Washington on Thursday with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Source: PAP, pl.usembassy.gov
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Piotr Miszczuk.