US to send $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say

The Biden administration will send about $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday, even as Washington works to get a better understanding of Kyiv’s incursion into Russia and how it advances the broader battlefield goals more than two years into the war .

U.S. officials said the latest package of aid includes air defense missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins and an array of other antiarmor missiles, counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems and equipment, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, vehicles and other equipment.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not been publicly announced. The formal announcement could come as soon as Friday, which is the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day.

The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which means they are taken from Pentagon stockpiles and can be delivered more quickly.

The aid comes as Ukrainian forces continue to broaden their surprise offensive into Russia, where officials say they have taken about 62 square miles of territory around Kursk. Russian troops, meanwhile, are making gains in the east, around the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk , a critical logistics hub.

Pentagon officials have said repeatedly that the U.S. has been talking with Ukrainian leaders to get a better assessment of their longer-term goals for the Kursk operation, particularly as they see Russia advancing near Pokrovsk.

If Pokrovsk falls, the defeat would imperil Ukraine’s defenses and bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are now just 6.2 miles away.

Asked about the Kursk operation, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday that “we are still working with Ukraine on how that fits into their strategic objectives on the battlefield itself.”

The U.S., she said, understands that Ukraine wants to build a buffer zone along the border, but the administration still has more questions about how it furthers Ukraine's broader war effort.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first visit Thursday to the border area where his forces launched the offensive on Aug. 6. He said Kyiv’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.

The latest package of aid brings the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $55.7 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

美国官员周四表示，拜登政府将向乌克兰提供约 1.25 亿美元的新军事援助。与此同时，华盛顿方面正努力更好地了解基辅入侵俄罗斯的行为，以及在战争持续两年多之后，这种行为如何推进更广泛的战场目标。

美国官员表示，最新一揽子援助包括防空导弹、高机动性火箭炮系统（HIMARS）、标枪导弹和其他一系列反装甲导弹的弹药、反无人机和反电子战系统及设备、155毫米和105毫米炮弹、车辆和其他设备。

由于援助尚未公开宣布，这些官员要求匿名发言。正式公告最早可能在周五发布，而周五正是乌克兰独立日的前夕。

这些武器是通过总统的撤军授权提供的，这意味着它们来自五角大楼的库存，可以更快地交付。

乌克兰军队正继续扩大对俄罗斯的突袭攻势，官员称他们已在库尔斯克附近占领了约62平方英里的领土。与此同时，俄军也在东部，特别是乌克兰重要的后勤枢纽波克罗夫斯克市附近取得进展。

五角大楼官员多次表示，美国一直在与乌克兰领导人进行对话，以更好地评估他们对库尔斯克行动的长期目标，尤其是在他们看到俄罗斯向波克罗夫斯克附近推进的情况下。

如果波克罗夫斯克陷落，乌克兰的防御将受到严重威胁，俄罗斯也将更接近其占领顿涅茨克地区的既定目标。目前，俄军距离波克罗夫斯克仅6.2英里。

当被问及库尔斯克行动时，五角大楼发言人萨布丽娜·辛格周四表示，“我们仍在与乌克兰合作，探讨该行动如何融入他们在战场上的战略目标。”

她说，美国理解乌克兰希望沿边境建立缓冲区，但美国政府对于如何推进乌克兰更广泛的战争努力仍有更多疑问。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基周四首次访问了8月6日其部队发动攻势的边境地区。他说，基辅军队已经控制了另一个俄罗斯村庄，并俘虏了更多战俘。

最新一轮援助使自俄罗斯2022年2月入侵乌克兰以来，美国向乌克兰提供的安全援助总额超过557亿美元。