Pentagon providing $200M in military aid to Ukraine

The Defense Department is providing Ukraine with $200 million in security cooperation funds for additional training, equipment and advisory efforts to build that nation's "defense capacity," according to a Pentagon statement.

"This reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine and brings the total U.S. security sector assistance to Ukraine to more than $1 billion since 2014," DOD said. "The added funds will provide equipment to support ongoing training programs and operational needs, including capabilities to enhance Ukraine’s command and control, situational awareness systems, secure communications, military mobility, night vision, and military medical treatment."

The Pentagon also praised Ukraine's recent adoption of a new national security architecture, which "constitutes a major step toward Ukraine's goal of achieving NATO interoperability."

DOD adds that the time line for delivering and fielding equipment "will be determined at a later date."

The announcement of $200 million in military aid follows controversy stirred by President Trump's recent meeting in Helsinki, Finland, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) release a blistering criticism, saying Trump's meeting with Putin was a "tragic mistake."

"The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate," McCain said.

The White House, however, defended Trump's actions on Russia, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders mentioned the decision to provide lethal aid to Ukraine in a Wednesday press conference.

"Look, I think the President, as he has said many times before, has been tougher on Russia than anybody," she said.