The United States announced a new $325 million military assistance package for Ukraine on Tuesday as Kiev troops battle Russian forces in a recently launched counteroffensive.
According to a Pentagon statement, the aid contains Javelin anti-tank missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which are long-range, and 15 Bradley fighting vehicles.
It also includes 155 and 105mm ammunition and projectiles for the NASAMS surface-to-air systems.
The package “will provide $325 million worth of US weapons and equipment,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
It includes critical air defense capabilities, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles and other equipment.
The Pentagon reported that the package provides “key capabilities to assist Ukraine’s efforts to retake its sovereign territory and support Ukraine’s air defenders as they courageously protect Ukraine’s soldiers, civilians and critical infrastructure.”
Assistance includes 25 armored vehicles, as well as demolition munitions to clear obstacles and more than 22 million ammunition for small arms and grenades.
The package will help Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian troops, which President Volodimir Zelensky said on Saturday was underway.
kyiv has asked its Western allies to hand over a wide range of modern military equipment to help Ukrainian forces retake large tracts of Russian-controlled territory.
The United States made the announcement after reporting last week that it had sent another $2.1 billion security assistance package to Ukraine with anti-aircraft defenses and ammunition.
The Ukrainian Army continues its gradual advance towards the Zaporizhzhia region, a counteroffensive in which it has managed to retake several towns, while Russian troops maintain that their defensive lines are intact and insist on the high human cost for Ukraine of their offensive actions.
The Joe Biden administration has provided more than $40 billion in military aid since Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The announcement coincides with the meeting this Tuesday at the White House between President Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
This Tuesday, Stoltenberg visits the White House to meet with Biden in the framework of the preparations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit next July in Vilnius and the efforts of the allies to redouble their military support for Ukraine, which is immersed in a counter-offensive against Russia.
(With information from AFP and EFE)