The US on Wednesday announced a new $200 million arms package for Ukraine that includes HIMARS ammunition, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment.

The package was announced as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Brussels hosting a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a gathering that includes military leaders from about 50 countries. For the first time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting.

At the meeting, Austin insisted the US could continue fueling the proxy war in Ukraine while also sending more military aid to Israel as it's expected to invade Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on southern Israel. "We can do both, and we will do both," he said.

Zelensky expressed concern about the situation in Israel and Gaza, diverting attention from Ukraine, saying, "of course, everybody's afraid, and I think also Russia's counting on it, on dividing support."

Wednesday's meeting marked the first time a Ukraine Defense Contact Group gathering was attended by Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who recently replaced Gen. Mark Milley as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the US military.

According to the Pentagon, the $200 million package for Ukraine used funds made available by a Pentagon "accounting error" that overvalued previous arms shipped into the conflict. As the White House has been struggling to get Congress to authorize more Ukraine spending, the Pentagon has said it has about $5 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the US to ship weapons straight from its own military stockpiles.