US to give $1 bn worth of weapons to Ukraine

Firepower includes anti-ship rockets, rounds for howitzers

Washington, June 15: The White House is expected as soon as Wednesday to announce around $1 billion worth of new weapons aid for Ukraine, including anti-ship rocket systems, artillery rockets, and rounds for howitzers, people familiar with the packages said.

The aid packages, which come as US defence secretary Lloyd Austin is meeting with allies in Brussels, could be split into two categories: transfer of excess defence articles from US stocks and other weapons being funded by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a separate congressionally authorised programme.

The weaponry will include more rockets for Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) that had been sent to Ukraine and artillery rounds for M777 howitzers and spare parts.

Ground-based Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher capabilities, secure radios, night vision and training are also expected. The White House declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Western countries must send Ukraine more heavy weaponry as it battles Russia’s advance in the east of the country, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“Yes, Ukraine should have more heavy weapons,” Stoltenberg told a press conference in The Hague after meeting the leaders of seven European Nato allies ahead of a key summit.

Stoltenberg said NATO was already “stepping up” deliveries and officials would be meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to coordinate further support, including heavy weaponry.

“Because they absolutely depend on that to be able to stand up against the brutal Russian invasion,” Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine has repeatedly begged for heavy weapons from the West, criticising some European leaders for failing to deliver arms that Kyiv says it needs to push back Moscow’s forces.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Danish premier Mette Frederiksen were hosting Stoltenberg and the leaders of Poland, Romania, Latvia, Portugal and Belgium ahead of a crunch Nato summit in Madrid at the end of June. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lamented that the West was “not doing enough” to support his country’s neighbour Ukraine.

“We have not done enough to defend Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian people, to support their freedom and sovereignty,” he told the press conference.

“And this is why I urge you, I ask you to do much more to deliver weapons, artillery to Ukraine. They need this to defend their country.” Western countries would have no “credibility” if Ukraine lost, he added.

● UKRAINE HAS repeatedly begged for heavy weapons from the West, criticising some European leaders for failing to deliver arms that Kyiv says it needs to push back Moscow’s forces.