WASHINGTON: The US announced $350 million in ammunition, river boats and other equipment for Ukraine’s military as part of a broader effort by the country’s allies to keep it from running out of artillery shells and missiles in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Among the supplies announced Monday was ammunition for HIMARS rocket-launcher systems and howitzers, as well as for Bradley infantry vehicles, secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement. Anti-tank weapons are also being sent.
“This week, as Russia’s unconscionable war of aggression against Ukraine continues at great human cost, we are again reminded of the boundless courage and steadfast resolve of the Ukrainian people, and the strong support for Ukraine across the international community,” Blinken said.
The aid falls under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, meaning it comes from current US stocks. Ammunition has become an urgent need for Ukraine, which is currently using on average 60,000 and as many as 210,000 rounds of ammunition per month.
Earlier Monday, European Union envoys agreed to a plan to back spending €1 billion from the bloc’s European Peace Facility to jointly buy ammunition. They backed spending another €1 billion from the same fund to reimburse what member states send from their own existing stockpiles of both modern and Soviet-era ammunition to Ukraine.
