US preparing to announce $6B in weapons contracts for Ukraine

The U.S. is putting the finishing touches on one of its largest Ukraine military aid packages to date, preparing to ink contracts for as much as $6 billion worth of weapons and equipment for Kyiv’s forces, according to two U.S. officials.

The package, which could be finalized and announced as soon as Friday, will dip into the $61 billion in Ukraine funding signed into law by President Joe Biden on Wednesday. It would include Patriot air defense systems, artillery ammunition, drones, counter-drone weapons, and air-to-air missiles to be fitted on fighter planes, according to one of the officials and a third person familiar with the planning.

The equipment likely won’t arrive in Ukraine for several years, as the money is being allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which issues contracts to American defense firms to build new equipment for Ukraine, as opposed to drawing from current U.S. stocks.