The Biden administration announced a military aid package to Ukraine valued at $550 million on Monday.
The aid was authorized from the presidential drawdown authority for the 17th time, which means it comes from U.S. stockpiles.
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby announced the package from the White House podium on Monday afternoon. He provided limited details of the contents of the aid, only saying that it will include more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition for the 155-millimeter artillery systems.
The United States has already provided more than $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in late February.
Over the last couple months, the war has been concentrated in the eastern part of the country, the Donbas region. While Russia has gained territory, it has come at an incremental rate and a significant loss, U.S. officials have said.
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The U.S. has provided 16 Lockheed Martin-made HIMARS, which have made an impact on the battlefield. In late July, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov said his forces have already used the HIMARS to “destroy approximately 30 command stations” but said they needed “at least” a hundred to launch an “effective” counterattack against Russia.
