What Western support looked like on 11 June 2024

What did Western support for Ukraine amount to on 11 June 2024? The announcements of that day pointed in two directions: more air defence and more money.

On 11 June 2024, the United States approved a move to send a second Patriot missile system to Ukraine. The same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union would give Ukraine €3.4 billion (about $3.6 billion) over the summer, drawn from revenue on frozen Russian assets.

Weapons and restrictions

The day before, on 10 June 2024, the United States lifted a ban on sending U.S. weaponry to Ukraine's Azov Brigade. Together with the Patriot decision, this meant Washington was widening both the kind of equipment going to Ukraine and the units that could receive it.

Strikes in Crimea

On 10 June 2024, Ukraine's military said its missile strikes near Yevpatoriya and Chornomorske in Russian-occupied Crimea had damaged three Russian air defence systems. The statement came from the Ukrainian military, as reported at the time.

Two tracks

Taken together, the reports from 10 and 11 June 2024 show support running on two tracks. One was military: an additional Patriot system and a lifted restriction on arms for a specific brigade. The other was financial: a summer transfer of €3.4 billion funded by income from Russian frozen assets, announced by the head of the European Commission.

The Patriot decision and the Crimea strikes both concerned air defence, though from opposite sides. Ukraine said it had degraded three Russian systems, while the United States moved to add to its own.