US announces $275 million weapons package for Ukraine

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Friday announced $275 million of new military assistance for Ukraine amid its intense battle with Russian forces in the country’s Kharkiv region.

The new package includes high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds, small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades and other equipment, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

This is the fifth military assistance package to Ukraine since US President Joe Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package, including $61 billion assistance for Ukraine, last month after months of gridlock in Congress.

"Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people," Blinken said.

"As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine in its defense of its freedom," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the package is "critical" as Russia intensified its attacks along the frontline.

"Today in Kharkiv, I witnessed firsthand the importance of strengthening our warriors in order to protect our people, our cities, and our communities," said Zelenskyy.

On May 10, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces attempted to breach the country’s defenses in the Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that is concentrated in the country’s east and south.

Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, located about 74 kilometers (45 miles) from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts including Donetsk.