US sending 125 million dollars in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say

The Biden administration will send around 125 million dollars in new military aid to Ukraine, US officials have said.

It comes as Washington works to get a better understanding of Kyiv’s incursion into Russia and how it advances the broader battlefield goals more than two years into the war.

US officials said the latest package of aid includes air defence missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins and an array of other anti-armour missiles, counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems and equipment, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, vehicles and other equipment.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not been publicly announced.

The formal announcement could come as soon as Friday, which is the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which means they are taken from Pentagon stockpiles and can be delivered more quickly.

The aid comes as Ukrainian forces continue to broaden their surprise offensive into Russia, where officials say they have taken about 100 square kilometres (62 square miles) of territory around Kursk.

Russian troops, meanwhile, are making gains in the east, around the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a critical logistics hub.

Pentagon officials have said repeatedly that the US has been talking with Ukrainian leaders to get a better assessment of their longer-term goals for the Kursk operation, particularly as they see Russia advancing near Pokrovsk.

If Pokrovsk falls, the defeat would imperil Ukraine’s defences and bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the Donetsk region.

Russian soldiers are now just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.

Asked about the Kursk operation, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that “we are still working with Ukraine on how that fits into their strategic objectives on the battlefield itself”.

The US, she said, understands that Ukraine wants to build a buffer zone along the border, but the administration still has more questions about how it furthers Ukraine’s broader war effort.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his first visit to the border area, where his forces launched the offensive on August 6, on Thursday.

He said Kyiv’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.

The latest package of aid brings the total amount of US security assistance to Ukraine to more than 55.7 billion dollars since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.