US announces $500M in new security aid for Ukraine

WASHINGTON

The US Defense Department announced a new aid package Thursday valued at $500 million to meet Ukraine's security and defense needs in its fight against Russia.

"This announcement is the Biden Administration's seventy-second tranche of equipment to be provided from (Department of Defense) DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021," said the department in a statement.

The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package "will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including air defense capabilities; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons," said the statement.

The capabilities include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs), chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) protective equipment, and Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems.

"The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to meet Ukraine's urgently needed battlefield requirements and defend against Russian aggression," said the department.

Last Saturday, the Department of Defense announced nearly $1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine.

"This security assistance package commits an additional $988 million in support through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that will provide Ukraine with munitions for rocket systems and Unmanned Aerial Systems," it said in a statement.

The US has provided Kyiv with more than $62 billion in military aid since Russia’s "special military operation" began in February 2022.