US to give Ukraine $500 million in additional military aid

The US will provide Kyiv with a new military package worth up to $500 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in a show of support for Ukraine's fight against Russia as Moscow deals with the aftermath of a mutiny by mercenary fighters.

The package will include ground vehicles including Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker armoured personnel carriers, and munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

The package "includes key capabilities to support Ukraine's counteroffensive operations, strengthen its air defences and other equipment to help Ukraine push back on Russia's war of aggression," the Pentagon said.

"I am sincerely grateful," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Twitter post "for another $500 million defence assistance package. Additional Bradley and Stryker armoured vehicles, ammunition for HIMARS, Patriots and Stingers will add even more power."

Russia's embassy in the US said on its Telegram messaging app that with the aid, "Washington only confirms the obsession with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on the Russian Federation."

The package is being funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without congressional approval during an emergency. The material will come from US excess inventory.

The security assistance package is the 41st approved by the United States for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, for a total of more than $40 billion.