WASHINGTON: The White House stated that the $3 billion in military aid for Ukraine that was announced on Friday was the largest aid package for Kyiv to date.
According to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the assistance is expected to include self-propelled howitzers, MRAPs and other personnel carriers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and more details will be provided by the Pentagon later.
The previous day, Washington and Berlin made the announcement that they would provide armored vehicles—German Marders and Bradleys from the United States—but did not provide any specifics regarding the number of vehicles.
Ukrainian forces will have more firepower from Bradleys, which typically have anti-tank missiles, a 7.62mm machine gun, and a 25mm autocannon.
Live blog: US Bradley vehicles are exactly what Ukraine needed — Zelenskyy
Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder stated, “It’s not a tank, but it’s a tank killer.”
He continued, “We’re confident that it will assist them on the battlefield.”
It is important to note that on the previous day, Russia asked Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s spiritual leader, Patriarch Kirill, who is a strong Putin supporter, to call a ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas Eve.
But Ukraine rejected that ceasefire, calling it “hypocrisy” and stating that “Russia wants to use truce as cover to stop our advances in Donbas and bring in more equipment.”
Source: AFP