US sending $325 million package of military aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will deliver a new package of military aid to Ukraine that totals up to $325 million and will include a wide range of rockets, missiles and other munitions aimed at bolstering the counteroffensive against Russia, the State Department said Tuesday.

The aid will include missiles for what are considered critical air defense systems — the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAM) and the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as Stingers and Javelin missiles and more than two dozen Bradley and Stryker armored fighting vehicles.

The aid comes as Ukraine has intensified attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, in the beginning stages of a counteroffensive to retake territory seized by the Russians.

Including the latest aid, the U.S. has committed nearly $40 billion in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine since Russia attacked on Feb. 24, 2022. This latest package will be done under presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to quickly take weapons from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine, officials said.

Also in the new aid delivery will be 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, and a variety of other rockets and munitions. It also includes spare parts, communications and demolition equipment and funding for training.

“The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine, whose enduring courage and solidarity inspires the world,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.