New U.S. Military Aid Package to Ukraine to Total Approximately $400 Million – CNN

A Ukraine security aid package worth approximately US$400 million is expected to be announced Friday around the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the White House.

As CNN with reference to two US officials reports, the package will include ammunition for HIMARS rocket launchers and different artillery systems such as 155mm and 105mm. According to officials, it will also include Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges for the first time, a system used to launch bridges to cross trenches and narrow water obstacles. 

On Thursday, John Kirby, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator, said the US will announce another round of assistance to Ukraine, including ammunition for HIMARS and artillery, but he did not specify how much.

This security assistance will be drawn directly from US inventories under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), meaning the weapons and equipment can arrive in Ukraine quickly. Last week, the US announced US$2 billion in aid under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which contracts with industry to procure the supplies and takes more time.

Together with the new package, the US aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion will amount to more than US$32 billion.