The United States pledged $3 billion in military support for Ukraine on Friday, calling it the largest aid package for Kyiv to date.
According to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the support, which the Pentagon will specify later, will include Bradley infantry combat vehicles, MRAPs and other personnel carriers, and self-propelled howitzers.
The previous day, Washington and Berlin stated that they would provide armored vehicles – Bradleys from the US and Marders from Germany – but provided no further information.
Berlin announced on Friday that it will send approximately 40 Marder vehicles to Ukraine within the next few weeks, with training offered in Germany.
They, along with the Bradleys, will provide additional firepower to Ukrainian forces. They are typically armed with a 25 mm autocannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun, and anti-tank missiles.
The Bradleys, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, are “very significant in terms of being able to do what we call combined arms maneuver warfare,” an area in which the Pentagon has said it will train Kyiv’s forces.
The vehicles are “very much tied to the war that we’re seeing on the ground right now and what we expect to see throughout the winter months,” said Kirby.
The Bradley, according to Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder, is “not a tank, but it’s a tank killer.”
“We’re confident it’ll help them on the battlefield,” he said.
Ukraine has long advocated for heavier weaponry, such as tanks, to aid its operations. Western nations have been hesitant to send them, citing concerns about being drawn further into the conflict or provoking Russia.
However, the Ukrainians have gained momentum, and Western nations have increased the weapons they send them.
The announcement by the US and Germany on the armored vehicles came after France promised to deliver its AMX-10 RC light tanks, which are wheeled rather than tracked but share a tank’s much heavier cannon.
The French move increased political pressure on Germany to do more to assist Ukraine.
Germany also announced on Thursday that it would send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, implying that Kyiv’s forces will receive two of the advanced air defense systems.
