The United States on Friday announced a new $400 million military aid package for Kyiv as Russia launched a surprise ground offensive in northeast Ukraine.
It is the third package for Ukraine in less than three weeks, following two in late April valued at a total of $7 billion as Washington seeks to make up for months in which it provided only limited assistance to Kyiv.
In a memo released by the White House, President Joe Biden authorized up to $400 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine.
The memo did not disclose any information about the aid package, which was released on the same day that Russia increased pressure on Kyiv with a ground offensive into Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a fierce battle.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the United States has been a strong military backer of Ukraine, committing more than $44 billion in guns, ammunition, and other security aid.
However, previous to April 24, Washington had only announced new help for Ukraine once this year, in March, with a $300 million package made possible by leveraging money saved by the Pentagon on other purchases.
Congress had not approved large-scale aid for Kyiv in nearly a year and a half but finally acted after months of bitter discussion among lawmakers about how or if to assist Ukraine in defending itself.
On April 20, the US House of Representatives adopted legislation authorizing $95 billion in aid funds, including $61 billion for Ukraine, while the Senate ratified the package on April 23, and Biden signed it into law the next day.
Shortly after Biden signed the legislation, Washington announced a $1 billion package of military assistance taken from American stocks, followed a few days later by $6 billion in security help sourced from the defence sector.
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