US to Send $550 Mln in Weapons to Ukraine

On Monday, the United States said it will send $550 million in new weapons to Ukrainian forces facing the Russian invasion.

The new weapons package will include munitions for rocket launchers that are increasingly important in the conflict.

White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed to the press that this assistance will include, in particular, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), rocket launchers that have been used to destroy Russian command posts and ammunition depots as well as for 155-millimeter howitzers already in use by Ukrainian troops.

Kirby mentioned that Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, had informed their Ukrainian counterparts about the new arms shipments on Monday.

Blinken said in a statement that he was authorizing a drawdown of arms and equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine’s self-defense.

The total value of US military assistance provided to Ukraine since US President Joe Biden took office, to more than $8 billion, according to the spokesman.