US sending Patriots to Ukraine under $1.85B aid package

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it will provide $1.85 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The administration is rolling out funding for a Patriot missile battery as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is arriving in Washington for his first known trip out of his country since Russia invaded in February. The White House announcement Wednesday came just hours before Zelenskyy was expected to arrive. The package includes $1 billion in weapons and equipment from Pentagon stocks, including the Patriot battery, and $850 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. will be providing “critical new and additional military capabilities to help Ukraine defend itself” against Russia.