US announces new military package for Ukraine, including HIMARS rockets, artillery shells

Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk
·2 min read
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The United States announced a new military package on May 24 worth $275 million, the U.S. Defense Department reported.

This is the fourth installment of military aid since the U.S. passed the long-awaited $61 billion foreign defense bill last month.

The new package includes HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ammunition, 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds, 60mm mortar rounds, and tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles.

Additional items include Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, precision aerial munitions, small arms and ammunition for those weapons, demolition munitions, anti-armor mines, and tactical vehicles to recover equipment.

The list also includes helmets, body armor, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective equipment, spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

"The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners to ensure Ukraine's brave defenders receive the critical capabilities needed to fight Russian aggression," the statement read.

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Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko

News of further U.S. military aid comes a few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with defense officials from more than 50 countries at the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

During the meeting, Austin emphasized the new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast has added to the urgency of the West's support for Ukraine.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's forces had managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Over the winter months, Ukraine suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid. Russia has taken advantage of this, taking the city of Avdiivka in February.

Read also: Opinion: Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough?

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