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Jan. 6 (UPI) — A day after agreeing with Germany to send armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine, the Department of Defense released details Friday of its latest military aid package to that embattled country that is valued at more than $3 billion.
The package includes 100 American made M113 armored personnel carriers, 55 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles and 138 high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, among many other military supplies, the department said in a release.
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an agreement with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send Ukraine armored combat fighting vehicles, a day after France said it would arm Kyiv with light tanks in its war against Russia.
Ukraine has continually requested military aid from its ally nations in order defend its cities from Russian missile attacks.
On the American end of the deal, the commitment includes 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles as well as 250,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition.
“The Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles and artillery systems will complement the recent commitment of combat vehicles to Ukraine by Germany and France,” the Defense Department said in a release.
Friday’s announcement also included provisions to supply Ukraine with approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets, which have been key to repelling Russian military vehicles.
Financially, the aid package includes the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $2.85 billion to meet critical security and defense needs, as well as the Department of State’s announcement of $225 million in Foreign Military Financing.
The latter is meant to “contribute to the long-term capacity and modernization of Ukraine’s military.”
In October, the Biden administration authorized another $725 million in security aid for Ukraine to help the nation recover from recent missile attacks by Russia on civilian targets.
That was followed by another $400 million in military aid in November
The United States has committed more than $24.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration.
