NATO Countries Pledge New Military Aid for Ukraine.

Source; CFR

The United States and nine other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries each?announced new military support packages (BBC)?for Ukraine. The U.S. package?includes $2.5 billion in weapons (CNN), bringing total U.S. security aid to Ukraine to $26.7 billion since Russia’s invasion in February. Today, fifty Ukraine Defense Contact Group member countries are meeting in Germany to coordinate further aid.?

?Ukrainian officials have?urged Western countries to resolve (FT)?a standoff over deliveries of main battle tanks. The deliveries hinge on Germany’s willingness to export and approve transfers of heavy armored vehicles. Germany has said it would not commit to sending Leopard 2 tanks unless the United States pledges to send its own main battle tanks. The new U.S. aid package does not include these kinds of tanks.?

Analysis

“Western main battle tanks would clearly have the advantage against Russian systems. But these lighter, more mobile armored vehicles [already pledged by Western countries] will offer an anti-armor capability?that can match up with Russian systems in most scenarios,” CFR’s Timothy J. MacDonald writes.

?“What is not yet clear is?whether [German Chancellor Olaf Scholz] would allow other nations to send their Leopards?without sending any itself,” the?New York Times’ Lara Jakes and Erika Solomon write.

This In Brief lays out?how much aid the United States has sent?to Ukraine.