US to Send $3 Billion In New Military Aid for Ukraine - Official

By Staff, Agencies

The United States will announce a new security assistance package for Ukraine of about $3 billion as early as Wednesday, a US official said on Tuesday, in what would be the single largest tranche to Kiev since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine six months ago.

The package is being prepared to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day on Wednesday.

The package uses funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative [USAI] appropriated by Congress to allow the Biden administration to procure weapons from industry rather than taking weapons from existing US weapons stocks.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the new weapons did not appear to include types of arms that had not been provided previously to the Ukrainian military. But the official said it would focus on ammunition and more medium-term objectives like defense systems.

Under the USAI, the weapons could take months to arrive in Europe given that companies have to procure them.

The official said the amount and mix of weapons could change before the formal announcement.

Since Feb. 24’s special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine, Washington has provided $10.6 billion in military assistance to President Volodymyr Zelensky's government.