The Biden administration has announced a new round of military aid to Ukraine valued at $300 million, and it will include a short-range air-launched rocket for the first time.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre first announced the planned assistance at Wednesday’s press briefing, saying it includes more ammunition for United States-provided weapons such as High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), howitzers, artillery, and mortar rounds and anti-armor capabilities.
“It follows extensive work by the U.S. government over the past few months to fulfill Ukraine’s requests ahead of its planned counteroffensive and ensure they have the weapons and equipment they need,” Jean-Pierre said.
This package is being authorized via the president’s drawdown authority, the 37th since Russia’s war began, which means the weapons will come from current U.S. stockpiles and will go to Ukraine sooner than otherwise. It brings the total amount of military aid the U.S. has donated to Ukraine to more than $35 billion over the course of the war.
Kyiv is expected to launch its highly anticipated counteroffensive in the near future, where they will look to retake Russian-occupied territories, mainly in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
via joemiller
