US preparing artillery, missile package for Ukraine, officials say
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — U.S. Marines fire a tube-launched optically-tracked wire-guided (TOW) missile during crew-served weapons training as part of Exercise Cobra Gold in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, March 3, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aidan Hekker via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
By Mike Stone and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is preparing a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the first to be sourced from the yet to be signed Ukraine-Israel bill, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
The aid package includes vehicles, Stinger air defense munitions, additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 155 millimeter artillery ammunition, TOW and Javelin anti-tank munitions and other weapons that can immediately be put to use on the battlefield, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
President Joe Biden had asked Congress to provide $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine, but the initiative stalled when Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to move the measure forward for months.
(Reporting by Mike Stone and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
