WASHINGTON – The Biden administration introduced a $1 billion safety help bundle for Ukraine on Monday, the most important weapons installment but since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in late February.

The upcoming army support bundle, the 18th such tranche, brings U.S. dedication to about $9.eight billion and consists of munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport automobiles.

The bundle consists of further ammunition for Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket Techniques or HIMARS, 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, 20 120 mm mortar techniques and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition in addition to munitions for Nationwide Superior Floor-to-Air Missile Techniques or NASAMS.

The HIMARS, manufactured by protection large Lockheed Martin, are designed to shoot quite a lot of missiles from a cellular 5-ton truck and have sat excessive on Ukrainian want lists. Beneath Secretary of Protection for Coverage Colin Kahl stated that the U.S. was not sending HIMARS on this newest bundle, solely ammunition for the system. Kahl declined to say what number of rounds of ammunition can be within the subsequent supply.

The U.S. has up to now offered 16 HIMARS to Ukraine.

The Pentagon can even ship 1,000 Javelins, a whole bunch of AT4 anti-armor techniques, 50 armored medical remedy automobiles, anti-personnel munitions, explosives, demolition munitions and demolition tools.

Till now, the most important Ukraine help bundle was introduced on June 15 however that installment was a combination of presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Safety Help Initiative. Monday’s bundle, solely a presidential drawdown authority, means the weapons come immediately from U.S. stockpiles.

“We are going to proceed to seek the advice of carefully with Ukraine and surge further accessible techniques and capabilities rigorously calibrated to make a distinction on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine’s eventual place on the negotiating desk,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a press release.