On Saturday, December 7, the U.S. Department of Defense released a press release detailing a new defense aid package for Ukraine amounting to nearly one billion dollars ($988 million) under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows for arms to be procured directly from defense companies. This marks the 22nd defense aid package under this program.
One notable aspect of this aid package is that, despite the substantial amount of almost one billion dollars, the list of weapons is limited to three items.
These include munitions for the HIMARS rocket systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as various equipment, spare parts, etc., necessary for the repair of different artillery systems, tanks, and other armored vehicles.
In comparison, the package worth $725 million earlier this month had a significantly broader list of weapons, ranging from various types of missiles to artillery ammunition and different types of mines.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that Washington is expected to organize a real "avalanche" of weapons for Kyiv within 45 days, totaling $6 billion from the U.S. One of the options discussed earlier was the transfer of decommissioned or planned-for-decommissioning weapons under presidential authority, with subsequent repairs to be carried out in Ukraine, funded through the USAI program.
Considering that the new package indeed includes a provision for the repair of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems, it is likely that the U.S. has opted to follow this particular scenario.