U.S. pledges $820M in new military aid

The U.S. announced $820 million in new military aid to Ukraine to help it repel the Russian invasion, including a sophisticated Norwegian anti-aircraft system that is used to protect the White House and Capitol.

The latest tranche of arms for Kyiv announced Friday includes sophisticated new surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar that the Pentagon hopes will limit Russia’s ability to strike Ukrainian cities with long-range missiles.

Ukraine will also get up to 150,000 rounds of 155-millimeter ammunition, a key tool as it uses howitzers and other heavy artillery to blunt Russian advances in the Donbas region.

The U.S. has now sent more than $8.8 billion in arms to Ukraine in the past year since the Kremlin massed its troops on the border and eventually invaded its neighbor in February.

The new package includes funding for the purchase of two high-tech systems known as NASAMS, a Norwegian anti-aircraft system that can hit targets up to 100 miles away. The system is used to protect the airspace above Washington D.C.

The Pentagon will also provide additional ammunition for medium-range rocket systems it provided Ukraine in June, known as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.

The latest infusion of aid is designed to give Ukraine an edge in a war that is grinding into a stalemate in which both sides are relying on heavy artillery.

Even though Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes to win the war by the end of this year, Intelligence assessments increasingly predict a long and punishing battle.

If those predictions turn out to be true, the U.S. and its allies will need to continue to send billions in weapons and cash to help Kyiv hold out against its larger and more powerful neighbor.