U.S. aid package to Ukraine will include Bradley fighting vehicles

The United States' latest aid package to Ukraine will include Bradley fighting vehicles, a medium-sized armored personnel carrier that can move substantially faster than a standard tank.

The $2.85 billion package will also include a number of HUMVEES and additional missiles and ammunition, according to the Associated Press. The provisions follow the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States, during which he urged Congress to continue its support for his country against Russia and to pass the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that included roughly $45 billion in aid to Kyiv.

Congress ultimately passed that measure, putting the total financial value of American aid allocated to Ukraine at more than $100 billion.

Movement on the front line has ground to a halt following the Russian withdrawal from Kherson late last year. At present, Ukrainian and Russian forces are locked in a brutal struggle for the strategic Donetsk city of Bakhmut.

Ground troops may soon enjoy a temporary reprieve from the constant fighting, however, as Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in observance of Orthodox Christmas. Both Ukraine and Russia are Orthodox-majority nations and traditionally celebrate Christmas in January, due to that faith's use of the Julian calendar.