US giving Ukraine $3 billion in military aid for years ahead

The Biden administration is expected to announce today an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces to fight for years to come, US officials say.

The officials tell The Associated Press that the package will fund contracts for as many as three types of drones and other weapons, ammunition and equipment that may not see the battlefront for a year or two.

The total of the aid package — it is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — could change, but not likely by much. Officials say it will include money for the small, hand-launched Puma drones, the longer-endurance Scan Eagle surveillance drones, which are launched by catapult, and, for the first time, the British Vampire drone system, which can be launched off ships. Several officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the aid before its public release.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, US security assistance is shifting to a longer-term campaign that also will likely keep more American military troops in Europe into the future, US officials say. Today is Ukraine’s independence day holiday and the six-month point in the war.