The U.S. government will announce an additional $275 million in ammunition and artillery for Ukraine in the coming days, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press (AP) on the condition of anonymity.
This would be the fourth installment of military aid since the U.S. passed the long-awaited $61 billion foreign defense bill last month.
The new package will include HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), munitions, and 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds. Additional items include Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, anti-tank mines, tactical vehicles, small arms, and ammunition for those weapons.
News of further U.S. military aid comes only a few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with defense officials from more than 50 countries at the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG). During the meeting, Austin emphasized the new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast has added to the urgency of the West's support for Ukraine.
Russia launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast with a reported 30,000 troops. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow's forces had managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said this week that Russian troops are now deploying their reserves from different sectors but fail to support active assault operations in the region.
Russian forces regularly conduct ground shelling and aerial attacks against population centers in Kharkiv Oblast. Local Ukrainian authorities have also reported instances of civilian executions at the hands of Russian troops.
Since the passing of the foreign aid bill last month, the U.S. has sent almost $1.7 billion in weapons to Kyiv.
Igor Kossov
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