WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States will send Ukraine nearly $3 billion in military aid, in a massive new package that will include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles for the first time, U.S. officials said Thursday, in the Biden administration’s latest move to send increasingly lethal and powerful weapons to help Ukraine beat back Russian forces.
European allies also stepped up their arms commitments. Germany announced it will deliver armored personnel carriers and a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, and France said it will soon hold talks to arrange the delivery of armored fighting vehicles.
However, all of the announcements fall short of sending heavier tanks, which are more complex to operate and have a longer-range gun. The Bradley, an armored personnel carrier used to transport troops to combat, is not a tank, but is known as a “tank killer” because of the anti-tank missile it can fire.
The latest US aid – totaling about $2.85 billion and about 50 Bradleys – is the largest in a series of packages of military equipment the Pentagon has pulled from its warehouses to send to Ukraine. It is aimed at getting as much to the Ukrainian forces as possible in the winter months, before spring sets in and an expected increase in fighting begins.
An announcement is expected Friday, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the package have not been released.
President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed in a joint statement Thursday that the United States will provide Bradleys to Ukraine while Germany will provide Marder armored personnel carriers. The statement did not give the number of vehicles or the total cost of the aid package.
“We’ve had to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression, and Russia is not trying to slow down,” Biden said during a meeting with his cabinet at the White House on Thursday. “The acts they are carrying out are as barbaric as they were a year ago, and they are not giving up at all.”
A short time later, in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy thanked the allies.
“Today I want to personally thank President Biden and Chancellor Scholz for the decision to strengthen our defense, a very important decision,” he said. “We will have another Patriot battery and powerful armored vehicles – this is truly a great victory for our state.”
The United States announced last month that it will send Ukraine its first Patriot battery, the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided for the war effort.
The Bradley fighting vehicle is a medium armored fighting vehicle that can serve as a fortified troop carrier on the battlefield. It has tracks instead of wheels, but is lighter and more agile than a tank. It can carry a crew of three and an additional five or six troops, and is seen as a critical way to move forces safely into combat.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said the Bradley will provide “both an offensive and a defensive capability to Ukrainians to be able to change the equation on the battlefield.”
He said Ukrainian troops will need training in operating and maintaining the vehicles. Ryder declined to provide details on the version of the Bradley being shipped or the timelines for delivery or training.
Also included in the aid package will be HUMVEES, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, and a large quantity of missiles and other munitions, according to US officials.
The aid comes on the heels of Zelensky’s dramatic visit to Washington last month, when he secretly slipped out of his war-torn nation for the first time to thank America and predict 2023 would be a “turning point” in the conflict, now in its 11th month .
In urging more support for the nation’s war effort, he told Congress, “Your money is not charity,” and instead is “an investment in global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have pressed Western leaders to acquire more advanced weapons, including armored vehicles and the Patriot missile batteries. A $1.85 billion aid package last month, in addition to including a Patriot battery for the first time, provided an undisclosed number of Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, to modify massive bombs by adding tail fins and precision navigation systems so that they can be directed to a target.
Associated Press writer Sagar Meghani and AP writers Darlene Superville in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Is Kiev the birthplace of Russia?
Kyiv: the birthplace of Russia Moscow’s ruling establishment feels so emotional because the first Russian state called Kievan Rus was established in Kyiv 12 centuries ago. Even the name Russia originated in the name of this loose confederation of East Slavic, Baltic and Finnish nations.
Is Kyiv the origin of Russia? Read also : Department Press Briefing – October 12, 2022 – U.S. Department of State.
Was Kiev founded by Russians?
History of Kiev. According to legend, Kyiv was founded by three legendary Slavic brothers, Kyi, Scheck and Khoryv, and their sister Lybed. This legend is supported by the fact that the city’s name can be understood as “Kyi’s” in Ukrainian.
Was Kiev the original capital of Russia?
It was also the first capital of the Russian state, which at the time was known as Kyiv Russ. Read also : $725 Million in Additional Security Aid to Ukraine > US. From Kyiv, you move to magnificent Moscow, Russia’s current capital and its business and cultural center.
What was the older name of Russia?
The name Russia is derived from Rus’, a medieval state populated mainly by the Eastern Slavs. On the same subject : Welcome prisoner exchange in Ukraine – United States Department of State. However, the proper name became more prominent in later history, and the country was usually called by its inhabitants “Russia”. This state is termed Kievan Rus after the capital of modern historiography.
What was Russia originally called? The name Russia is derived from Rus’, a medieval state populated mainly by the Eastern Slavs. However, the proper name became more prominent in later history, and the country was typically called by its inhabitants “Russia”. This state is termed Kievan Rus after the capital of modern historiography.
Is Kiev The oldest city in Europe?
Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is the capital of Ukraine, located in the north central area, and home to around 4 million people. Ukraine dates back to the 6th century and has been seized and occupied by other countries.
Was Kyiv the capital of ancient Russia? It was also the first capital of the Russian state, which at the time was known as Kyiv Russ. From Kyiv, you move to magnificent Moscow, Russia’s current capital and its business and cultural center.
Which city is older Moscow or Kiev?
Capitals: Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe and was founded in 482, while Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuriy Dolgoruky, son of Volodymyr Monomakh. So Kyiv is older than Moscow by 665 years.
