US hits $40B in weapons pledged to Ukraine with new $325M lethal aid package

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced an additional $325 million in security assistance for Ukraine, including more rockets, artillery and armored vehicles, bringing total weapons pledged to the country amid its war with Russia to $40 billion.

The funds are part of a presidential drawdown package, meaning the weapons and equipment will be taken from U.S. military stockpiles, and include “critical air defense capabilities, additional munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, and other equipment essential to strengthening Ukraine’s forces on the battlefield,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. 

The package will also consist of additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 15 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 10 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, TOW missiles, more than 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, communications support and other field equipment, according to a separate Pentagon release. 

The allocation follows on the heels of a $2.1 billion security aid package for Ukraine that the Biden administration announced last Friday. That tranche will provide more air defense systems and munitions for Kyiv to defend against Russian missile attacks.

Tuesday’s package brings the total lethal aid given to Ukraine to $40 billion since Russia first attacked the country in February 2022.

It also comes the same day the British-led defense alliance known as the Joint Expeditionary Force announced it would send $116 million worth of air defense capabilities for Ukraine.  

The package will “provide radars to help protect from indiscriminate Russian strikes as well as guns and a significant amount of ammunition,” according to a statement released by the United Kingdom. 

Ukraine earlier this month began its long-expected counteroffensive against Kremlin troops, with reports that Kyiv has made small gains and recaptured several villages in the eastern Donetsk region earlier this week.