US plans to announce new US$8bn military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday – Reuters
The United States is planning to announce over US$8 billion in military aid to Ukraine on Thursday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington.
Source: Reuters, citing two US officials
Details: The news agency reported that US President Joe Biden's administration is in urgent negotiations with Congress to secure approval for US$5.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine before the federal fiscal year ends on 30 September.
US officials said the White House intends to notify Congress that it will move forward with a US$5.6 billion drawdown from US arms stockpiles. The content of this package is still undetermined, the officials said.
The Biden administration is exploring a backup plan to announce supply commitments for Ukraine with a more extended delivery schedule, enabling a gradual transfer of weapons and equipment without missing the 30 September deadline.
The second announcement, scheduled for Thursday, concerns US$2.4 billion in assistance under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative programme, which allows the administration to acquire weapons for Ukraine from companies rather than drawing them from US stockpiles.
This assistance will consist of ammunition, anti-drone weapons, and materiel to support ammunition production in Ukraine, one US official said.
Additionally, the United States announced a US$375 million Presidential Drawdown Authority package for Ukraine on Wednesday. According to two US officials, this package will include the first shipment of the Joint Standoff Weapon, a precision-guided glide bomb with a range of up to 81 miles (130 km), although this was not mentioned in the official announcement.
The US officials said the package is also expected to include patrol boats, additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, spare parts, and other weapons.
The Joint Standoff Weapon is designed to be launched from fighter jets and is capable of striking targets with high accuracy.
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