The US is set to send a $225 million military package to Ukraine, which includes ammunition that Ukrainian forces could use to strike threats inside Russia and defend Kharkiv from heavy Russian assaults, according to US officials.
On Thursday, officials disclosed that the aid package comprises munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), mortar systems, and various artillery rounds. These officials spoke anonymously.
A new US directive permits Ukraine to use such weapons to strike across the border into Russia if Russian forces there are attacking or preparing to attack. However, this change does not alter the existing US policy prohibiting Ukraine from using American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles for offensive strikes inside Russia.
This aid package announcement coincides with President Joe Biden’s speech at the American cemetery in Normandy on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, where he pledged unwavering US support for Ukraine’s defense and warned against allowing Russia to threaten more of Europe. Biden emphasized that failing to support Ukraine would mean forgetting “what happened here on these hallowed beaches.”
Biden is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday. On Wednesday, a Western official and a US senator confirmed that Ukraine had used US weapons to strike inside Russia. According to a June 3 report from the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces recently used a HIMARS system to strike a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region.
The new aid package is being provided through presidential drawdown authority, allowing for rapid deployment from existing US stockpiles to the war front.
Additionally, the aid package includes missiles for the HAWK air defense system, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, 155mm Howitzers, armored vehicles, trailers, patrol boats, demolition materials, and various other spare parts and equipment.
Ukrainian officials have urged the US to enable their forces to defend against attacks originating from Russian territory. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is just 20 kilometers from the Russian border and has faced intensified Russian attacks.
In response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Russia could provide long-range weapons to other nations to strike Western targets.
The additional HIMARS munitions are part of the US effort to enhance Ukraine’s key weapon capabilities. Last month, the State Department approved a proposed emergency sale of HIMARS systems to Ukraine, valued at $30 million, funded by the German government.
