By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday announced a new package of military assistance for Ukraine it valued at up to $2.5 billion, including hundreds of armored vehicles and support for Ukraine’s air defense.
The latest assistance includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
The latest assistance also includes additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), eight Avenger air defense systems, tens of thousands of artillery rounds and about 2,000 anti-armor rockets, the Defense Department said.
In total, the United States has committed more than $27.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February last year.
Western allies have pledged billions of dollars in weapons for Ukraine. Fearing winter will give Russian forces time to regroup and unleash a major attack, Ukraine is pushing for more assistance to combat Moscow’s invasion.
In his trip to Washington in December, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the U.S. Congress that assistance to Ukraine is an investment in democracy, and not charity, while pressing for continued American support.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Diane Craft)
