OAN Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 11:44 AM – Wednesday, May 3, 2023
American officials said on Tuesday that the United States will be sending about $300 million in additional aid to Ukraine, including large quantities of artillery shells, howitzers, air-to-surface missiles and ammunition as the spring offensive against Russian forces nears its start.
Unguided Hydra-70 rockets, which are launched from aircraft, are part of the new kit. It also contains an unspecified amount of Carl Gustaf anti-tank guns, mortars, howitzer rounds, missiles, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) rockets. All of the specified weapons will be taken out of the Pentagon’s stockpiles, so they can be sent to the front lines as quickly as possible.
Due to the fact that the additional help has not yet been formally disclosed, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that they are in the “home stretch, when we can say: ‘Yes everything is ready.'”
The latest shipment comes as officials say they are preparing a counteroffensive. They are reportedly hoarding ammunition to stow along potentially extensive supply lines.
“The availability of weapons, prepared, trained people, our defenders and defenders who know their plan at their level, as well as providing this offensive with all the necessary things — shells, ammunition, fuel, protection, etc,” Reznikov said on Monday, referencing the key elements needed for a successful assault.
Although the U.S. has recently refrained from revealing the precise amount of materials that will be sent to Ukraine, the most recent shipment is consistent with earlier ones. Additionally, according to officials, they will also be sending trucks, trailers, replacement parts, and other maintenance support.
Since the conflict broke out in February 2022, Ukraine has received 37 packages of Pentagon supplies, bringing the total amount of U.S. military aid to nearly $36 billion.
“Compared to other major donor countries, the U.S. provides the most development assistance worldwide by strict dollar amount, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which tracks development aid defined as ‘Official Development Assistance’.”
Officials say that weaponry and other supplies will be useful as Ukraine gets ready to end the violent and protracted winter standoff that has been centered on intense combat in the country’s east, specifically in the area near the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk province.
Russian offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east are still the center of their attention, which has targeted Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka for their strikes, according to the General Staff of the country’s armed forces.
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