by Dave DeCamp

The Pentagon announced on Friday that it was providing Ukraine with a new weapons package worth $1.7 billion, which includes munitions for air defense systems, ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems, artillery shells, and other types of equipment.

The package includes $1.5 billion that’s being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The USAI allows the US to purchase weapons for Ukraine, which means it could take months or years before the equipment is delivered.

The other $200 million uses the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows President Biden to ship weapons to Ukraine directly from Pentagon stockpiles. The announcement came a few days after the Pentagon said it found an “accounting error” that overvalued previous weapons sent to Ukraine, freeing up another $2 billion to spend on the proxy war.

The announcement comes as Russia is making steady gains in the Donbas