The United States (US) has approved a $375 million package for supplying “urgently needed weapons” to Kiev, as announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. This move comes amidst Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the US, where he is participating in the United Nations General Assembly and scheduled to have talks at the White House as part of Ukraine’s efforts to secure more Western assistance against Moscow.
According to the administration of US President Joe Biden, this military aid package will include an undisclosed number of medium-range cluster bombs and other weapons for Kiev. The size of this package is nearly double that of recent shipments made by the US to Ukraine in their ongoing conflict with Russia.
The statement released by the US administration revealed the contents of the military aid, which includes: additional munitions and support for HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System); 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition; cluster munitions; armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and light tactical vehicles; patrol boats; small arms; and anti-armor capabilities, including Javelin missiles.
As reported by various media outlets, President Zelensky is expected to present his “victory plan” during his meetings with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in order to defeat Russia. This plan would necessitate the use of US-manufactured long-range missiles capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.
Kiev has been urging its foreign allies to expedite the delivery of weapons and lift restrictions on the use of long-range missiles for strikes within Russian borders, a request that has repeatedly been denied by the Biden administration.
In addition to this latest package, the US is also planning to roll out more than $8 billion worth of military aid for Kiev, as reported by Reuters. The White House currently has approximately $6 billion left in the special congressionally approved mechanism (PDA) aimed at expediting assistance to Kiev.
According to Reuters, the Biden administration has been engaged in “urgent discussions” with Congress to allow it to use PDA funds for Ukraine before September 30, when the authority of this mechanism is set to expire at the end of the federal fiscal year.
Earlier this week, former US President Donald Trump referred to Zelensky as “the greatest salesman in history,” highlighting his ability to obtain significant financial support from the US. Trump stated, “Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with $60 billion.
Since the beginning of the conflict in 2022, Washington has approved around $175 billion in financial aid and military assistance for Kiev, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Russia continues to assert that no amount of Western support will halt its troops from achieving the objectives of their military operation or alter the ultimate outcome of the conflict.