US to announce over $2.3B in military aid for Ukraine: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US will soon announce a new aid package for Ukraine worth more than $2.3 billion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday.

At a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon, Austin said the package would include items such as anti-tank weapons and air defense interceptors.

Austin and Umerov are expected to discuss bilateral defense cooperation, regional security issues, and ways to strengthen the US-Ukraine defense partnership during the meeting, which comes ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Washington, DC.

Previously, Ukraine said it expects to make progress on its NATO membership bid at the summit, set for July 9-11.

Under President Biden, the US has committed more than $51.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine including more than $51.2 billion since the beginning of Russia's "unprovoked invasion" on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the Pentagon.