Ukraine to Receive $125 Million in US Military Aid: Report

The United States is expected to send $125 million in military aid to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, according to a new report.

On Thursday, an official within President Joe Biden’s administration told the Associated Press (AP) that a new $125 million military aid package will include an array of defense systems including air defense missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor missiles, counter-drone technology and Javelins.

The official spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity as the military aid package has yet to be announced to the public. However, an official announcement could come later this week since Friday marks the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

According to the AP, the official said that the presidential drawdown authority will be used to provide the military aid package to Ukraine, which allows for the U.S. government to use stockpiles of weapons taken from the Pentagon.

Earlier in the month, Ukraine launched an offensive operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast as war continues to rage between the two nations since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Thousands of Russians have been evacuated from Kursk and the surrounding regions, while armed clashes intensify across southwestern Russia following Ukraine’s unexpected cross-border raid.

Ukrainian military officials have said that their forces have taken control of roughly 62 square miles in the Kursk region, but Russia has sought to make their own gains in the Ukrainian area of Pokrovsk.

On Wednesday, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said that Ukraine’s advances in Kursk have ended “any possibility” of peace negotiations between the two countries.

“Who will negotiate with them after this, after the atrocities, the terror that they are committing against peaceful residents, the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and peaceful facilities,” Zakharova said, per the AP.

Prior to Zakharova’s remarks, Moscow reported being targeted in a massive drone attack. Russian officials reported the country’s air defenses successfully intercepted 11 Ukrainian drones over Moscow in what the Kremlin described as “one of the largest” drone attacks ever against the capital.

“Eleven drones were destroyed” over Moscow and its surrounding region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh was asked about Ukraine’s operation in Kursk and said, “we are still working with Ukraine on how that fits into their strategic objectives on the battlefield itself.”

The $125 million aid package brings the total amount of U.S.military assistance to Ukraine to more than $55.7 billion since the start of Russia’s invasion.