US announces Patriot systems, Stingers and more in latest Ukraine aid package

PHOTO CAPTION: A Ukrainian serviceman holds a Stinger anti-aircraft missile on a front line in Ukraine's Mykolaiv region, Aug. 11, 2022. (Reuters photo)

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday announced the latest in a series of aid packages for Ukraine that includes up to $300 million worth of air defense systems, ammunition and other defense equipment.

The security assistance package represents the 39th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense inventories, the Pentagon said. The package includes Patriot air defense batteries, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, tank ammunition and a list of other equipment, according to the Pentagon.

In total, the U.S. has committed more than $38.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including more than $37.6 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Chris Reese and Mark Heinrich)