The Trump administration will deploy $250 million worth of military aid and equipment – some of it lethal – to Ukraine's armed forces as it seeks to deter Russian aggression amid a recent spike in hostile acts , the Defense Department confirmed Tuesday.

The new equipment the U.S. will provide includes sniper rifles for Ukraine's special operations forces, as well as grenade launchers, counter-artillery radars and equipment to detect and protect against electronic warfare. The Obama administration and initially President Donald Trump balked at sending lethal weapons to Ukraine reportedly for fear of provoking Moscow, despite pressure from Congress. Trump authorized sending Javelin anti-tank missiles in 2017.

The U.S. will also increase its support to the Ukrainian navy and maritime troops , following last year's crisis at the Kerch Strait resulting in Russia's capturing 24 Ukrainian seamen, who remain in detention under the auspices of criminal proceedings.

The new aid, which Congress authorized and has pushed the Trump administration to disperse, brings the total U.S. support to Ukraine to $1.5 billion since it began in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and began its ongoing support for separatist militias in Ukraine's eastern region, known as the Donbas. Ukrainian soldiers continue to die during isolated skirmishes and intermittent sniper and artillery fire in the simmering conflict.

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It also represents a major coup for supporters of the U.S. effort to deter Russia in Ukraine following the election of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier this year. The former comedian and yet-untested leader's policies toward Russia remain unclear, despite traveling to NATO headquarters for his first official trip as the country's leader, and subsequently to Germany. He was in Paris on Monday, where he called for continued " pressure " on Moscow.

Before retiring as the top officer for U.S. operations in Europe, Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti previewed the potential lethal aid to Congress in March, citing concerns about Russia.

"I'm not comfortable yet with the deterrent posture we have in Europe," the chief of U.S. Europe Command and top officer for NATO at the time told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Scaparrotti said any subsequent decision had "to go through the policy deliberations."

Scaparrotti drew particular attention to Russia's naval aggression, months after it attempted to block off Ukrainian access to key shipping ports in the Black Sea, accessible through the Kerch Strait.

Analysts at the time feared the dispute would reignite what had become a simmering four-year-old conflict, largely restricted to ground-based fighting in the Donbas.

The shipment announced Tuesday also represents a major win for those who feared Trump would walk back U.S. support for allies who face Russian aggression. It was unclear at the beginning of his administration whether he would continue support for an initiative Obama began in 2014 known as the European Reassurance Initiative, or European Deterrence Initiative, which included providing non-lethal aid and training to Ukraine, and deploying NATO troops to other countries along Russia's border, including the Baltic states and Poland.

Indeed Trump's proposed defense budget released earlier this year called for significant cuts to the fund , which Congress largely overturned in the budget appropriations process.

U.S. soldiers as a part of a contingent with other NATO countries continue to train their Ukrainian counterparts at a facility in the country's west. U.S. policy does not allow its troops to enter the contested provinces in the east.