The aid, which comes to around $2.85 billion in all, is the largest of a series of packages of military equipment that the Pentagon has retrieved from its storage facilities in order to convey to Ukraine.
U.S. officials announced on Thursday that the United States will be sending Ukraine nearly $3 billion in military aid as part of a massive new package that will for the first time include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles. This is the latest step that the Biden administration is taking to send increasingly lethal and powerful weapons to help Ukraine beat back forces from Russia.
The aid, which comes to around $2.85 billion in all, is the largest of a series of packages of military equipment that the Pentagon has retrieved from its storage facilities in order to convey to Ukraine. Its purpose is to facilitate the delivery of as much aid to the Ukrainian armed forces during the winter months as is humanly possible, prior to the arrival of spring and the anticipated escalation of hostilities.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the specifics of the package have not been publicly publicized, said that an announcement is scheduled to be made on Friday.
The Bradley fighting vehicles are an example of a medium-armored fighting vehicle that has the capability of acting as a fortified troop carrier while out in the field. It moves much more quickly than a tank despite having tracks rather than wheels for transportation. It has a capacity of roughly ten people and is regarded as an essential method for safely transporting soldiers into combat.
HUMVEES, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, also known as MRAPs, together with a significant quantity of missiles and other types of ammunition will also be part of the aid package.
The assistance follows on the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dramatic visit to Washington last month. During that trip, he thanked the United States for their support and predicted that the year 2023 would mark a “turning point” in the conflict. He informed Congress that “your money is not charity” and that it is, rather, “an investment in world security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” This was said in an effort to encourage more support for his country’s war effort.
Along with other Ukrainian government officials, Zelenskyy has been putting pressure on Western politicians to deliver more cutting-edge weaponry, including armoured vehicles and Patriot missile batteries. The assistance package worth $1.85 billion that was sent to Ukraine the previous month contained, for the very first time, a Patriot battery.
This surface-to-air missile system is the most technologically advanced one that the West has given to Ukraine in the fight to win the war. Additionally, an undisclosed quantity of Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits were sent. These kits are used to modify enormous bombs by attaching tail fins and precision navigation systems, which enable the bombs to be directed at a specific target.