By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. unveiled $2.6 billion worth of military assistance that includes three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, as Ukraine prepares to mount a spring offensive against Russia’s invasion.
“We do expect the Ukrainians to put forward or begin some sort of their own spring offensive in the weeks ahead,” Ambassador Julianne Smith, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO, said on Monday.
Tuesday’s U.S. weapons aid package was comprised of $2.1 billion from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry rather than from U.S. weapons stocks.
The USAI package included additional munitions for NASAMS air defenses that the U.S. and allies have given to Kyiv, precision aerial munitions, Soviet-era GRAD rockets, anti-tank rockets, armored bridging systems used in assaults, and 105 fuel trailers, along with funding for training and maintenance.
The remaining $500 million came from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows the president to take from current U.S. stocks in an emergency.
That segment of the aid package included a half a dozen types of munitions, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems, tank munitions, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
Last month, Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany and Portugal reached Ukraine. The package announced Tuesday includes 61 heavy fuel tankers and recovery vehicles to help disabled heavy equipment like tanks.
The U.S. has now pledged more than $35.2 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
