The United States announced the sending of weapons worth $275 million to Ukraine

A new American envelope that the Ukrainian army was eagerly awaiting. The United States announced Friday it was sending $275 million in weapons to “help Ukraine repel the Russian offensive near Kharkov” in the northeast of the country that began about fifteen years ago.

The equipment, taken from US military stockpiles, includes ammunition for the Himars rocket system, artillery shells, guided missiles and anti-tank weapons. So many weapons that Ukraine “urgently needs,” says a press release from the US State Department.

It is not for nothing that the Russian army launched an offensive in the Kharkov region from the border on May 10, capturing several settlements and forcing the Ukrainian army to transfer valuable reinforcements to the area. Ukraine, however, assured on Friday that it had “stopped” the Russian offensive in the area and had launched a counterattack in the area.

Help delivered “as quickly as possible”

The new aid is the fifth authorized by President Joe Biden since Congress passed a $61 billion package in late April, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Amid internal divisions between Republicans and Democrats, it took months for the United States to release the aid promised by the White House. Thus, the Ukrainian army found itself without weapons when Russia went on the attack again in the fall and winter of 2023-2024.

“Help from previous shipments has already reached the front,” Antony Blinken wanted to reassure, however, before clarifying that the aid announced on Friday will be sent “as quickly as possible so that the Ukrainian army can use it to defend its territory and protect the Ukrainian people.” .

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision on his X account, saying this new aid program is “needed at this time when the enemy is intensifying his attacks along the front line.” Visiting Kharkiv that same day, “I witnessed the importance of strengthening our warriors to protect our people, our cities and our communities,” he continued, before insisting: “We need strong and sustained support from the United States and other allies. “

Antony Blinken met with him last week during a trip to Ukraine to reaffirm the United States’ support. “We are determined that Ukraine wins this war” and “ensures that (it) has the equipment it needs to succeed on the battlefield,” he said, as quoted by CNN. However, he recalled that the weapons provided should not be used by Kiev to attack military targets on Russian territory, much to the displeasure of Vladimir Zelensky.