U.S. officials tell the Washington Post that the Pentagon will dramatically “expand the scope” of weapons sent to Ukraine, including helicopters that can be fitted to attack Russian vehicles, armored Humvees and a range of other armaments.
The new aid package could be worth $750 million, these people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the transfer has not yet been finalized.
Preliminary plans circulating among government officials and lawmakers in Washington also includes howitzer cannons, coastal defense drones and protective suits to safeguard personnel in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons attack, the officials said, though they cautioned that it was not immediately clear if all of those items would end up in the final package.
The Washington Post
The announcement of the aid package will come on Wednesday, according to Reuters which first broke the story.
Reuters adds:
Separately, the Pentagon will host leaders from the top eight U.S. weapons manufacturers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s capacity to meet Ukraine’s weapons needs if the war with Russia lasts years, two people familiar with the meeting told Reuters.
