US sends Ukraine another $300M in weapons ahead of counteroffensive against Russia
WASHINGTON — President Biden signed off Wednesday on sending Ukraine another $300 million in weapons from US stocks as Kyiv prepares for a long-anticipated counter-offensive against Russia.
The package will include additional HIMARS rockets; an undisclosed amount of 155mm howitzers and accompanying artillery; mortar rounds; tube-launched TOW missiles; small arms and associated ammunition; and AT-4 and Carl Gustaf shoulder-launched anti-armor weapons systems, according to the Pentagon.
Notably, the US is also sending Hydra-70 aircraft rockets, which are launched from the air.
Previous packages have primarily provided ground-launched munitions as Russia and Ukraine battle for air superiority more than 14 months after the invasion by Moscow.
It’s the first package sent since highly sensitive Pentagon documents leaked last month revealed that on Feb. 28, intelligence officials predicted Ukraine’s air defense forces would be fully exhausted by May 23 without further reinforcement.
The package also includes some non-offensive military equipment, such as trucks and trailers; diagnostic equipment for vehicle maintenance and repair; demolition munitions for obstacle clearing; and “spare parts and other field equipment,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Kyiv is expected to launch a renewed counter-offensive in days to liberate Ukrainian territory that Russia has claimed.
The most intense fighting recently has been centered on the city of Bakhmut, where Russian forces have made “incremental gains,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
“[Bakhmut] really holds very little strategic value for Russia,” Kirby said.
“The capture of Bakhmut would absolutely not alter the course of the war in Russia’s favor, and Ukraine’s defenses in the areas surrounding Bakhmut still remain strong.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said throughout the war that Kyiv wants to take back the entirety of the eastern Donbas region as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014.
Wednesday’s package is the Biden administration’s 37th sent to Ukraine from Pentagon stocks.
The aid frequency lagged over the winter months as the fighting came to a relative standstill and the defense industry worked to refill US stockpiles — an effort that remains ongoing.
In all, Washington has sent Ukraine roughly $36.4 billion since President Biden took office, all but about $700 million was sent after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2021.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement said the latest package “will help Ukraine continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and unjustified war.”
“Russia could end its war today,” Blinken said.
“Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes.”
