Biden approves new $300M military aid package for Ukraine

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has approved a new package of military aid for Ukraine that totals up to $300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and an array of other weapons. It comes as Russia has continued to pummel Ukraine’s capital and unmanned aircraft have targeted Moscow.

U.S. officials have said there is no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the Moscow strikes, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine but Kyiv has not acknowledged. The Biden administration has said it has made clear to Ukraine that U.S.made weapons should not be used for attacks inside Russian territory.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given the U.S. assurances that the Ukrainians respect those concerns.

The new aid package provides munitions to boost Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to fend off Russia’s air assaults on Kyiv. It provides munitions for Patriot missile batteries and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well Avenger and Stinger air defense systems, mine-clearing equipment, anti-armor rounds, unguided Zuni aircraft rockets, night vision goggles, and about 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition and an undisclosed amount of other artillery rounds.

Moscow was targeted by a rare drone attack Tuesday that lightly damaged residential buildings. Russian officials say the West, which throughout the grinding war has sought to keep the conflict from expanding beyond Ukraine, has not adequately condemned the attack on Russian soil.

Asked about Moscow’s criticism that the West is quietly supportive of attacks inside Russian territory, Kirby scoffed that the Russians are “not going to believe anything I have to say” on the matter.