United States announces additional security assistance package for Ukraine
The United States has officially announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine, which will support the the country’s counteroffensive operations, strengthen its air defenses and other capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The relevant statement was made by White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton during a briefing in Washington on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“This package includes key capabilities that will support Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations, such as mine clearing equipment, armored vehicles and artillery rounds. It will also strengthen air defenses to help Ukraine protect its people from rocket attacks, and provide Ukraine with additional anti-armor systems and ammunition for the HIMARS rocket systems that Ukraine is using so effectively on the battlefield,” Dalton said.
This authorization is the Biden Administration’s forty-first drawdown of equipment from the U.S. Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
According to the Pentagon, the capabilities in this package, valued at up to $500 million, are as follows: additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems; Stinger anti-aircraft systems; additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); demolitions munitions and systems for obstacle clearing; mine clearing equipment; 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds; 30 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles; 25 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers; Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles; Javelin anti-armor systems; AT-4 anti-armor systems; anti-armor rockets; High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs).
The Armed Forces of Ukraine will also receive precision aerial munitions; small arms and over 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades; thermal imagery systems and night vision devices; testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair; spare parts, generators, and other field equipment.