US approves $2.6bn in aid for Ukraine and allies

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Ukrainian war
A US-made 155mm M777 towed howitzer in action in the Kharkiv region this summer [photo: BBC World Service]

The US has approved nearly $2.7bn (£2.3bn) in new aid for Ukraine and allies, including $675m in weapons for Ukraine as it battles Russia.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the arms package at a meeting with dozens of fellow ministers at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany.

The aid includes howitzers, munitions, Humvee vehicles, armoured ambulances and anti-tank systems.

The US has already pledged at least $13bn in military aid for Ukraine.

The Biden administration said on Thursday it had earmarked $2bn in long-term assistance in the form of investments to bolster the security of Ukraine and 18 of its neighbours, including both Nato members and non-members at risk of future Russian aggression.

It said it would notify Congress of the aid plan.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as his colleague urged Ukraine’s allies to commit to supporting the country for as long as necessary and be prepared to adapt the type of support offered.

“It means moving urgently to innovate and to push all of our defence industrial basis to provide Ukraine with the tools that it will need,” Mr Austin said.

Describing Russia’s invasion as an “illegal, imperial and indefensible war of conquest”, he said: “Now we’re seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield.”

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s military had recently carried out successful attacks against Russian forces which control large areas of Ukraine in the south and the east – and retaken settlements near the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

He did not give details but both Ukrainian and pro-Russian officials report fighting around Balakleya, 60km (38 miles) south-east of Kharkiv