US Allocates Additional $325 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

The United States will provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth up to $325 million, according to two anonymous Defense officials who spoke to Voice of America (VOA).

Against the backdrop of recent reports indicating that Ukraine has suffered the loss of a number of armored vehicles, including over a dozen Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the aid package, set to be released on Tuesday, June 13, is expected to include Stryker and Bradley armored vehicles. These will be provided to replace those that have been damaged or destroyed in the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, which underscores the military costs incurred during the ongoing counteroffensive.

Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, drew attention to the fact that these modern systems, as good as they are, are vulnerable and will need to be replaced.

“So, it's a reminder that this security provision is not a one-off. This is going to have to continue for the long term,” he highlighted. According to the VOA the officials said that this new military package will also include additional munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

This package is the 40th authorized presidential drawdown of military equipment for assistance to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. The use of the presidential drawdown authority allows for the speedy delivery of defense articles and services directly from Department of Defense stocks.  According to the US State Department, such assistance can begin arriving within days, or even hours, of approval.

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