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U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
The United States has pledged another round of military aid to Ukraine worth $2.6 billion. The new military assistance package includes air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets, and fuel trucks.
The Pentagon announced on Tuesday the newest round of military assistance to Ukraine worth $2.6 billion. $2.1 billion comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding that allows the Biden administration to buy weapons from industry instead of existing US weapons stocks. The remaining $500 million comes from the Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows President Joe Biden to take from current US stocks in case of emergency.
Three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets, and fuel trucks are included in the new round of military aid. The USAI package includes additional munitions for NASAMS air defenses, precision aerial munitions, Soviet-era GRAD rockets, and armored bridging systems used in assaults. 105 fuel trailers, training, and maintenance are also included in the USAI package.
The PDA package includes half a dozen kinds of munitions, such as munitions for Patriot air defense systems, tank munitions, and HIMARS. This brings the US security assistance to Ukraine to $35.2 billion since Russia’s invasion in February last year. 61 heavy fuel tankers and recovery vehicles to help disabled heavy equipment such as tanks are also included.
US ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Monday that Washington expects Ukraine “to put forward or begin some sort of their own spring offensive in the weeks ahead.” The new announcement of military assistance follows last month’s arrival of German-made Leopard 2 tanks that Berlin and Portugal have pledged to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the US National Governors’ Association that the US could protect its values by helping Kyiv.
“Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries,” said Zelenskyy in a video address.
On Monday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Ukrainians had not been withdrawn from the key city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has been the heaviest and bloodiest since the start of the war. Kirby’s remarks follow comments by Kyiv that refuted claims that Russian forces captured the city.
