The US will send additional weapons worth $675 million to Ukraine, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Thursday.
Austin made the announcement at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he traveled on Wednesday for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. He said Kiev is at “another key point” in its attempts to fight against Russia and pledged US help over a long period of time.
The expected announcement was reported earlier by the Washington Post, which cited an anonymous US official. The source said the US wants to replenish rocket artillery munitions used by Ukraine.
Secretary Austin said the package also includes more howitzers, Humvees, armored ambulances, anti-tank systems, and other weapons in addition to the resupplying of munitions. The aid was authorized by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, he added.
Last week, the White House asked the Congress to allocate an additional $11.7 billion to fund military assistance for Ukraine, including $4.5 billion for arms and equipment acquisitions.
The US has been the biggest sponsor of the Ukrainian military amid the conflict with Russia. Among the heavy weapons sent to Kiev by the Pentagon are High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), M777 howitzers, and combat drones.
The reported plan to replenish artillery ammo stockpiles comes just after Kiev launched major offensive operations in the south and north against entrenched Russian soldiers.