US announces $500 million weapons package for Ukraine

The United States will send Ukraine another $500 million in weapons and equipment, including dozens more armored vehicles to replenish those lost on the battlefield since Kyiv began its summer counteroffensive, the Biden administration announced Tuesday.  

The package, which comes a little under a month since Ukraine began its military effort to reclaim territory from Russian forces, includes 30 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 25 Stryker armored personnel carriers. 

Of the 113 Bradley vehicles Washington previously sent Kyiv, roughly 15 percent of them have been damaged or destroyed, according to U.S. officials. The vehicles are considered critical in helping Ukraine push Kremlin troops from its lands. 

The security assistance package provides “key capabilities to support Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations” and “strengthen its air defenses to help Ukraine protect its people,” according to a Tuesday announcement from the Department of Defense. These capabilities include more munitions for the U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Patriot air defense systems, artillery rounds, TOW missiles, High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, Javelin missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, and other equipment. 

“Clearly, there will be equipment that is damaged, there will be requirements to help [Ukraine] sustain the fight. And so you see things like ammunition, additional armored capabilities, capability that can be employed in breaching operations,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. 

The latest weapons package comes after private Russian military company the Wagner Group launched then aborted a rebellion against Moscow in less than 24 hours Friday, shaking Kremlin leadership. 

Ryder said neither the timing of the announcement nor the volume of additional lethal aid was altered because of the situation in Russia.

“We have a process that we’ve been employing for a while now, and so this is part of that that process,” he said.  

The authorization is the administration’s 41st contribution of equipment from Pentagon stocks to Ukraine since August 2021.