Ukraine receives artillery worth the battalion in a new $ 100 million aid package

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is sending another $ 100 million in military aid to Ukraine, including heavy artillery and anti-artillery radars, the Biden administration said Thursday.

The package is the equivalent of US battalion artillery – 18,115 mm howitzers, 18 tactical towing vehicles and 18 artillery tubes – along with three AN / TPQ-36 anti-artillery radars, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

“It simply came to our notice then [from the U.S. to Ukraine] “Very soon,” Kirby said. “You can imagine that you have seen us do this in the past, we will not sit on our hands. We will start downloading these things right away. These are all elements that we have provided in the past, so there is a process for that. “

This is the 10th tranche of equipment sent by US military supplies to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February for a total of $ 3.9 billion in military aid. It concludes the body approved by Congress in March.

Congress sent a new $ 40 billion package of military and humanitarian aid to President Joe Biden on Thursday. Much of it is designed to provide major weapons systems to counter Russia as the war intensifies in southern and eastern Ukraine.

U.S. defense officials have said artillery will be crucial in this phase of the war. “The vast majority of the 90 US howitzers previously sent to Ukraine are on the front lines in various places in Ukraine, and Ukrainians are using them quite effectively,” Kirby said.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks more sophisticated weapons, Reuters said the White House was considering providing anti-ship missiles to counter Russia’s naval blockade. Experts say that preventing the supply of Ukrainian agricultural exports risks global hunger.

“I’m not going to speculate on systems that haven’t even been shipped or approved for shipment yet,” Kirby said. “As for the blockade, we are aware of the economic impact it has. This is an issue that the interagency ministry and the world community are talking about.