US announces $400 million in additional military aid for Ukraine

The US Department of Defense has announced it will fund T-72 tanks sent to Ukraine, deepening its involvement in the war in defiance of repeated warnings by Russia.

The refurbished T-72 tanks are part of a $400 million military assistance package by the US that also includes armored vehicles, drones and a budget to refurbish air defense missiles. It will bring the Biden administration’s total commitment to Kiev to nearly $19 billion.

The additional military, ground and air capabilities come as Ukrainian forces are reportedly pushing forward on an offensive to retake the Moscow-controlled Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced that civilians need to be evacuated from Kherson, where Russian forces have been evacuating since mid-October.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for NATO to supply tanks.

On Friday Zelensky tweeted that Ukraine is “thankful to [President Biden] and the people of [the United States] for another $400 military assistance package.”  

Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the T-72 tanks will all come from the Czech Republic. The United States will pay for 45 of them to be refurbished, while the Netherlands will pay to refurbish the other 45.

Singh said some of the tanks are expected to be delivered by the end of December.

MG