Washington. June 15th. INTERFAX - The package of US military assistance for Ukraine, which was announced on Wednesday, provides, in particular, for the transfer by Washington of another 18 155-mm howitzers and 36 thousand shells for them, American media reported on Wednesday with reference to the Pentagon.
In addition, the assistance package provides for the transfer to Kiev of 18 tractors for such howitzers, additional missiles for the HIMARS MLRS, two Harpoon anti-ship systems, various spare parts.
At the same time, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, noted that, in his opinion, in the future Ukraine will have to switch exclusively to 155-mm howitzers, because the United States and its partners cannot supply it with shells for currently used Soviet-made guns.
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House reported that US President Joe Biden said he had informed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky by phone about the decision to provide Kiev with a tranche of US military assistance in the amount of $ 1 billion.
"I informed President Zelensky that the United States will transfer another $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine," Biden said in a statement.
