The U.S. pledged a defense aid package of weapons and equipment for Ukraine worth $300 million, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference on March 12.
This is the first package since last December, as U.S. funds for Kyiv have been blocked by disputes in Congress.
According to Sullivan, the new package was made possible thanks to unanticipated cost savings in contracts that the Pentagon negotiated to replace equipment already sent to Ukraine through previous drawdowns.
Washington can use these cost savings to provide assistance to Ukraine immediately without threatening U.S. military readiness, he noted.
The newly announced tranche includes a large number of artillery rounds and GMLRS rockets for HIMARS launchers.
The assistance package also includes additional round of ammunition, anti-tank weapons, munitions for obstacle clearing, and maintenance equipment.
Sullivan stressed that the package does not replace and should not delay a foreign aid bill that includes $60 billion for Ukraine, which is yet to be approved by the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Senate passed the foreign aid bill in February, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to put it to a vote in his chamber, despite the pressure from the White House and other members of Congress.
"The House has got to pass the supplemental as soon as possible to allow us to continue the flow of vital security assistance to Ukraine, to replenish U.S. military stocks, to invest in our industrial base," Sullivan said.
Despite earlier media reports suggesting that ATACMS long-range missiles would be included in the package, the missiles were notably absent from the Pentagon's list of weapons provided.
Martin Fornusek
