U.S. to send Bradley armored vehicles to Ukraine for first time in latest military package

The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion drawdown assistance package, the largest ever drawdown of current Defense Department equipment to Ukraine. Included for the first time are armored Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. 

The full commitment of assistance announced on Friday is more than $3.75 billion, which consists of the $2.85 billion drawdown, and another nearly $1 billion in foreign military financing for Ukraine and other countries impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday the package is designed for what Ukraine needs going forward, particularly in the Donbass, where there has been vicious fighting in recent weeks that is expected to continue through the winter months. 

“In that area of Ukraine, it’s a lot of farmland, a lot of open ground, and it lends itself well to the kinds of capabilities that are in this particular package,” Kirby said. 

The Bradleys have been described as both defensive and offensive vehicles because they provide armored protection, firepower, and maneuverability to move troops to the frontlines. 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday the Bradleys provide a capability that will help Ukraine in the coming months “change the equation on the battlefield.” 

Ukrainians have been asking for this capability for months. A Ukrainian official told CBS News that armored vehicles were part of the wishlist Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conveyed to the Biden administration during his quick visit to Washington, D.C., in December. 

When asked why the U.S. could provide the vehicles now and not earlier, Ryder said the U.S. can provide more complex systems now because the war has reached a point where the U.S. has the capacity to provide training, and Ukraine is more able to spare troops for training. 

“Early in this campaign, when Russia was on the doorstep of Kyiv, [it was] a much different situation,” Ryder said. “Things like long-term sustainment and logistics would be a much more complex undertaking.”

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