U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to announce as soon as Wednesday another $750 million in military assistance for Ukraine for its fight against Russian forces.
Two U.S. officials said the aid package could be worth $750 million. The package is likely to include new capabilities, such as unmanned surface vehicles — sometimes called sea drones or drone ships — and Mi-17 helicopters, according to a U.S. official and a senior defense official.
The package is still being finalized, and some equipment could be included in a later package of weaponry, a U.S. official said.
A former U.S. official described the aid shipment as “a package that’s built around the idea of larger-scale combat” and said sending short-range anti-ship missiles is under serious consideration.
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The aid package would come as the war shifts to a new phase, with Russia’s brutal massacres of civilians, appointment of a new general to oversee the conflict and intensified focus on the Donbas.
“We want Russia to lose,” a senior administration official said.
The U.S. has already delivered $2.4 billion in military assistance since Biden took office, though the vast majority of that aid has come since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
On Tuesday, Biden seemed to tell a crowd in Iowa that Russia’s actions in Ukraine amount to “genocide,” even though the administration has yet to make a formal determination.
His comments followed allegations from Ukrainian forces that Russia dropped a chemical substance in Mariupol. Those claims have yet to be verified, but if true it would be the first time such weapons were used in the war.
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Biden last month vowed to respond “in kind” to such an attack, with U.S. officials considering new arms shipments to Ukraine as a retaliation.
The White House also said Washington is “helping the Ukrainians acquire additional, longer-range” air-defence systems, but did not provide further details.
The most recent package brings the total US security aid to Ukraine announced since the Russian invasion began to $1bn. The Biden administration previously approved another $1bn in aid before the invasion began.
Reuters with additional input by GVS