WASHINGTON: The Biden administration will send about $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, US 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.
US 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 anti-armor 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 100 square kilometers (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 US 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 10 kilometers (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 US, 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 Zelensky 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 US security assistance to Ukraine to more than $55.7 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
![]()
US sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say
Short Url
https://arab.news/wdmnt
US sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say
- Aid comes as Ukrainian forces continue to broaden their surprise offensive into Russia
- US talking with Ukrainian leaders to get a better assessment of their longer-term goals for the Kursk operation
Japan protests China comments on reviving ‘militarism’
TOKYO: Tokyo said it had lodged a “stern demarche” to China through diplomatic channels after Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi accused “far-right forces” in Japan of seeking to revive militarism.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang weighed in on Beijing’s current relationship with Tokyo, which has been under heavy strain since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments about Taiwan in November.
Wang said that “Japanese people should no longer allow themselves to be manipulated or deceived by those far-right forces, or by those who seek to revive militarism.”
“All peace-loving countries should send a clear warning to Japan: if it chooses to walk back on this path, it will only be heading toward self-destruction.”
Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the claims in a post on X Sunday as “factually incorrect and ungrounded.”
“Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities are in response to an increasingly severe security environment and are not directed against any specific third country,” the statement said.
It said there were “countries in the international community that have been rapidly increasing their military capabilities in a non-transparent manner” but added that “Japan opposes such moves and distances itself from them.”
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made his stance clear at another session of the conference, followed by a stern demarche against the Chinese side through diplomatic channels, the statement said.
Just weeks into her term, Takaichi said Japan would intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.
Beijing claims the self-ruled democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
Takaichi was seen as a China hawk before becoming Japan’s first woman prime minister in October.
She said last week that under her leadership Japan — which hosts some 60,000 US military personnel — would bolster its defenses and “steadfastly protect” its territory.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang weighed in on Beijing’s current relationship with Tokyo, which has been under heavy strain since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments about Taiwan in November.
Wang said that “Japanese people should no longer allow themselves to be manipulated or deceived by those far-right forces, or by those who seek to revive militarism.”
“All peace-loving countries should send a clear warning to Japan: if it chooses to walk back on this path, it will only be heading toward self-destruction.”
Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the claims in a post on X Sunday as “factually incorrect and ungrounded.”
“Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities are in response to an increasingly severe security environment and are not directed against any specific third country,” the statement said.
It said there were “countries in the international community that have been rapidly increasing their military capabilities in a non-transparent manner” but added that “Japan opposes such moves and distances itself from them.”
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made his stance clear at another session of the conference, followed by a stern demarche against the Chinese side through diplomatic channels, the statement said.
Just weeks into her term, Takaichi said Japan would intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.
Beijing claims the self-ruled democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
Takaichi was seen as a China hawk before becoming Japan’s first woman prime minister in October.
She said last week that under her leadership Japan — which hosts some 60,000 US military personnel — would bolster its defenses and “steadfastly protect” its territory.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.