US sends $275m of weapons, military aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday announced a fresh tranche of military aid for Ukraine, including ammunition, missiles, mines and artillery rounds as Russia presses its assault on the Kharkiv region.

“The United States is announcing today a significant new drawdown of weapons and equipment for Ukraine to support the brave Ukrainian people as they defend their country,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, describing the war supplies as “urgently needed.”“The Ukrainian Defence Forces have stopped Russian troops in the Kharkiv sector... The situation is under control, counter-offensive actions are under way,” the Ukrainian army said.

Moscow’s forces have hammered Kharkiv for months and launched a ground assault into the north of the surrounding region on May 10, an offensive that Kyiv says has stalled on two lines of attack for now.

As a part of the US$95 billion aid Bills, Congress authorised US$60.8 billion worth of various forms of aid to Ukraine, including US$8 billion worth of presidential drawdown authority items.

While the package mainly includes munitions, it also has vehicles that are designed to recover disabled tanks and other heavy equipment from the battlefield, a sign that the US expects attacks and equipment losses to continue.

Military analysts expected a boost in the order backlog of RTX, along with other major companies that receive government contracts, such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, following passage of the supplemental spending Bill.