PENTAGON: The United States would provide another 300 million dollars in new military aid for Ukraine in a package expected to include munitions for Ukraine’s Patriot missile defence system.
According to Voice of America, officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the package’s expected release on Wednesday, said the latest aid included rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and more advanced tank ammunition and anti-armour capabilities ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive.
According to officials, Zuni unguided advanced aircraft rockets and AIM-7 radar-guided air-to-air missiles are providing air support. Avenger air defence systems and Stinger surface-to-air missile systems would also be included.
#BREAKING defense officials tell me US providing $300 million in more aid to #Ukraine in PDA expected tomorrow.
PDA package will include:
more munitions for #Patriots
more ammo for artillery & #HIMARS
Zuni aircraft rockets #Avenger air defense systems
Stingers…— Carla Babb (@CarlaBabbVOA) May 30, 2023
Once released, the aid package would mark the 39th authorized presidential drawdown of army equipment from Defense Department inventories since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
According to the statement from US Army Europe, the latest aid package comes as about 200 Ukrainian soldiers have begun combined arms training on M1A1 Abrams tanks in Germany.
According to the statement, another 200 Ukrainian soldiers are training on tank fueling operations and maintenance.
The Ukrainians will train on 31 Abrams tanks that arrived in Germany earlier this month. United States officials have said that a different set of 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks are being refurbished in the United States and will be delivered to Ukraine by the fall.
The training in Germany, which started on May 26, is expected to last about ten weeks, according to a senior United States military official. Abrams tanks, in particular, have been a long-awaited addition to the fight. The tank’s thick armour and 1,500-horsepower turbine engine make it much more advanced than the Soviet-era tanks Ukraine has been using since the war began.
The United States has pledged over 37 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. However, the Pentagon continues to work through an accounting error that overstated the value going to Kyiv. When calculating its aid package estimates, the Department of Defense was counting the cost incurred to replace the weapons given to Ukraine, while it should have been totalling the cost of the systems sent, officials told VOA.
According to officials, the error is expected to translate into about $3 billion available for more aid to Ukraine.
