U.S. announces $275M in new military aid package for Ukraine

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a significant security assistance package for Ukraine to meet the critical security and defense needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Pentagon said this in a press release on Friday, Ukrinform reports.

"It is the fifth security assistance package the President has authorized since signing the national security supplemental last month, and the third package the President has using Presidential Drawdown Authorities," the press release said.

This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package is part of U.S. efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia's assault near Kharkiv.

"It will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent battlefield needs, such as: additional precision strike rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); artillery rounds; air-launched munitions; and anti-tank weapons," the Department of Defense said.

The capabilities in this announcement include ammunition for HIMARS, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 60mm mortar rounds, Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, and precision aerial munitions. The aid package also includes small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, demolitions munitions, anti-armor mines, tactical vehicles to recover equipment, helmets, body armor, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment, spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.