Missiles, three million rounds of ammo for Ukraine in latest US weapons pledge

The US announced a new tranche of weapons for Ukraine on Tuesday, which will include AIM-9M missiles for air defense as well as over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

“Today we are announcing the next package of military assistance to aid Ukraine as it defends its territory and protects its people. This package contains important capabilities to help Ukraine on the battlefield,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

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Tuesday’s package is valued at $250 million and being executed under a previous drawdown directed for Ukraine.

Billions of dollars of aid were restored to provide Ukraine with additional weapons from the Pentagon’s stockpiles after a previous review of presidential drawdowns. Pentagon officials discovered that they had been incorrectly overvaluing the weapons and equipment that had been authorized for Ukraine.

Defense Department officials then undertook a review using the appropriate accounting method, which restored $6.2 billion that can be used under Congressionally authorized drawdown authority to provide arms and equipment to meet Ukraine’s urgent security requirements.

The following weapons will be included in the most recent drawdown, according to the Pentagon:

• AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• Mine clearing equipment;
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets;
• Hydra-70 Rockets;
• Over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Armored medical treatment vehicles and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) ambulances;
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
• Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

“Every day, Russia continues to wage a brutal war of conquest that has killed many of Ukraine’s civilians and displaced millions of its people,” Blinken said.

The US has committed more than $43 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Read more:

US allocates first $200 mln in arms to Kyiv after ‘accounting error’ frees $6.2 bln