The United States will send Stryker combat vehicles to Ukraine for first time as part of $2.5 billion security package
The United States (U.S.) has announced a U.S. $ 2.5 billion security package for Ukraine, which includes 90 Stryker armored vehicles for the first time and 59 more Bradley fighting vehicles.
The announcement comes ahead of an international coalition meeting in Germany to discuss more aid to Ukraine. It is the 2nd largest package ever announced by the U.S. The U.S. has now committed U.S. $ 26.7 billion to Ukraine in security aid since the beginning of the war nearly a year ago.
Speaking on the occasion, the U.S. Secretary of State – Antony Blinken said, “The United States also continues to rally the world to support Ukraine. We have seen incredible solidarity from our allies and partners, including at today’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and we applaud the more than 50 countries who have come together to make significant contributions to support Ukraine.”
Taking it to twitter, Blinken tweeted,
Today the United States announced a significant new package of security assistance, including Stryker armored personnel carriers, air defense and artillery, surface to air missiles, and small arms and ammo. As Ukraine pushes back Russia’s forces, we remain #UnitedWithUkraine.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 20, 2023
Thanking the U.S., the President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted,
Thank you @POTUS for providing 🇺🇦 with another powerful defense support package worth $2.5 billion. Stryker IFVs, additional Bradley APCs, Avenger air defense systems are important help in our fight against the aggressor. Thank you 🇺🇸 people for unwavering leadership support!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 20, 2023
The new aid also includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rocket system that Ukraine has used to great effect against Russian weapons depots and command posts, as well as additional munitions and systems for aerial defense. The U.S. has identified air defense as an ongoing priority to help bolster Ukraine’s response to Russia’s most recent air attacks against critical infrastructure. Russia’s infrastructure attacks have left millions of civilians without electricity, heat, water and other critical services in the freezing winter months.
Missing from the package are M1 Abrams tanks, a point of tension between the U.S. and Germany. German officials have indicated they won’t send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine or allow any other country with the German-made tanks in their inventory to do so, unless the U.S. also agrees to send its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. However, the U.S. has said that it has no intention of sending the M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine due to the high logistical costs of maintaining them.
The tank standoff comes amid a much larger debate between the U.S. and its European allies over whether to send increasingly sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine, including longer-range missiles that would allow Ukraine to hit targets as far as 200 miles away.
