U.S to provide Ukraine additional $500 million military aid

The Pentagon says the United States will provide Kyiv with a new military package worth up to $500 million in a show of support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

The package “includes key capabilities to support Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations, strengthen its air defences … and other equipment to help Ukraine push back on Russia’s war of aggression,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

According to the statement, the package will include Bradley fighting vehicles, Stryker armoured personnel carriers and munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

“I am sincerely grateful for another $500 million defense assistance package. Additional Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, ammunition for HIMARS, Patriots and Stingers will add even more power.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Twitter post.

Russia’s embassy in the U.S. said on its Telegram messaging app that with the aid, “Washington only confirms the obsession with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on the Russian Federation.”

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The package is being funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorizes the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval during an emergency. The material will come from U.S. excess inventory.

The security assistance package is the 41st approved by the United States for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, for a total of more than $40 billion.