- US officials predict an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine on Friday.
- This marks the fourth installment of military aid since Congress passed a delayed foreign aid bill.
- Russia has exploited Ukrainian shortages in manpower and weapons.
The package includes high mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, as well as 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds, according to the two US officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the aid package before the public announcement.
Following a monthly gathering Monday of about 50 defense leaders from Europe and elsewhere, who meet regularly to coordinate getting more military aid to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine was in a "moment of challenge" due to Russia’s new onslaught on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. He pledged to keep weapons moving "week after week."
Russia has sought to take advantage of Ukrainian shortages in manpower and weapons while the war-torn country waits for the arrival of more US assistance, which Congress delayed for months. Russian forces have pushed Ukrainian forces backward in places, while they have pounded Ukraine's power grid and civilian areas.
In the month since President Joe Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package, which included about $61 billion for Ukraine, the US has announced and started to send almost $1.7 billion in weapons pulled from Pentagon stockpiles.
It has also announced $6 billion in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This pays for longer-term contracts with the defense industry and means that the weapons could take many months or years to arrive.
With this latest package, the US has now provided almost $51 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
[embedpost slug="russia-reports-power-line-failure-at-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant/"]
