The White House approved a fresh Ukraine military aid package Wednesday with $325 million worth of battlefield supplies from U.S. stores placed at Kiev’s disposal.
The announcement came on the same day Ukraine´s defense minister said his country has just received U.S-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile systems it has long craved.
The latest equipment includes ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, precision aerial bombs, TOW guided missile systems, AT-4 anti-armor weapons systems, anti-tank mines and demolition munitions, UPI reports.
It will all be pulled from Pentagon stocks to expedite delivery to the front lines.
The assistance is derived from the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to draw assistance from existing stocks of U.S. weapons.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs the guest book during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ukrainian presidential palace on February 20, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Getty)
The latest assistance package is the 36th time the Presidential Drawdown Authority has been used to supply Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The assistance package comes on the heels of a $2.6 billion military aid package announced by the White House earlier this month.
That aid package included $2.1 billion to bolster air defense and anti-armor systems and $500 million for ammunition.
The announcement of the new U.S. aid comes before Friday’s meeting in Germany of defense and military leaders from more than 50 countries to discuss and plan for future Ukraine security assistance, AP reports.
The Ukraine Contact Group was formed about a year ago by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to better coordinate the military aid, weapons and training for Ukraine which continues to pour in from around the world but remains principally driven by Pentagon supplies.
Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will both attend the meeting.
The new U.S. aid package includes demolition munitions to clear routes, more than nine million rounds of small arms ammunition, four logistics support vehicles, spare parts, and equipment for harbor security and maintenance and repair.
Wednesday’s drawdown brings the total in U.S. taxpayer-funded Ukraine military aid to nearly $36 billion.
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