US To Send Another $3 Bn In Military Aid To Ukraine, Including Bradley Vehicles

A new US weapons package for Ukraine will include approximately 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, according to two US officials. 

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine to help fight Russia's invasion was being considered.

According to officials, the latest security package for Ukraine will be unveiled on Friday.

Since the mid-1980s, the armoured vehicle with a powerful gun, manufactured by BAE Systems Plc, has been used as a standard by the United States Army to transport troops around battlefields.

The Army possesses thousands of Bradleys, which could provide the Ukrainians with increased firepower on the battlefield. However, Biden's action falls short of sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, as the Ukrainians have requested.

Late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United States Congress that the tens of billions of dollars in aid approved by Congress to assist Ukraine in combating the Russian invasion was not charity, but an investment in global security.

The US has sent approximately USD 21.3 billion in security assistance to Kyiv as Europe's largest land conflict since 1945 continues, killing tens of thousands. The size of the security aid package announced on Friday was unclear immediately.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The US has been sending increasingly capable weapons to Ukraine. More complex weapons systems, such as High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), were shipped to Kiyv as the war progressed and Ukraine's needs changed.

The US recently pledged to send a Patriot missile system to repel Russian missile and drone attacks. Training and other logistics must still be worked out.

The Army is working to retire its Bradley fleet and is collaborating with industry to build a replacement as part of its modernisation efforts.