Comment The United States will send Ukraine $400 million in additional military aid, largely focused on long-range, high-precision weapons, the Pentagon announced. Friday. The package consists of four high mobility artillery missile systems, also known as HIMARS, adding to the eight that Washington has already delivered to Kyiv. It also includes 1,000 rounds of what a senior US defense official called “new-style” 155mm ammunition for use in the howitzer guns. which was part of previous transfers. These rounds — which The officials declined to be named, citing security concerns – they are meant to bolster Ukraine ability to target Russian military assets. The senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with ground rules set by the Pentagon, said the weapons’ accuracy should be more effective than standard rounds. Ukrainian forces are currently being used. Officials in Kyiv claim they go through 5,000 to 6,000 rounds of standard artillery ammunition a day. the US official said the burn rate of these weapons would be much lower. “We know what their usage rate is. We know what their store price is,” the official said. “The Ukrainians asked for more precision capability and HIMARS is not the limit of what the US can provide them for precision capability.” Ukraine scatters arsenal to protect weapons from Russian strikes The conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region has been marked by heavy fighting and heavy shelling, allowing Russia to make slow but steady gains while suffering heavy casualties. A senior Ukrainian official claimed this week that 36,000 Russian soldiers and 12,000 mercenaries were killed in the fighting. The Pentagon declined to offer such estimates. At this stage, Russia appears to control the entire Luhansk region after capturing the city of Severodonetsk late last month. The commanders are trying to extend their gains in the Donetsk region, moving south from Izyum, which has been under Russian control since April. They are targeting Sloviansk, a strategically important city near the region’s western border, but the effort is slow. A senior US military official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated on Friday that Russian forces could soon be exhausted if they advance without pause. “If I took the number of casualties the Russians took to gain that piece of ground, I’d probably have to stop and make up,” the official said. The flood of weapons in Ukraine raises fears of arms smuggling Friday’s announcement comes as some in Congress accuse the Pentagon of failing to account well for where U.S. military aid ends up once it is transferred to Ukraine and of failing to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. “Where I think we are, if not blind, then legally blind, is how well the equipment is being used, what are the rates of expenditure on ammunition, is there leakage into the black market, is the Ministry of Defense playing favorites,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) in a recent interview. “We, from a congressional oversight perspective, have a responsibility for billions of taxpayer dollars to have a better picture of where it’s going, who it’s going to and how it’s being used.” For now, it appears that the United States is relying primarily on the Ukrainian military to provide visibility into where the weapons are going after being transported. “Once we send the capabilities to Ukraine, we deliver them to Ukraine, they move to the battlefield, our military leaders and experts and professionals communicate with the Ukrainians to understand how they are developing these capabilities, what the utilization rate is their. ” said the senior US defense official. “We’re watching it very carefully and we’re very mindful of our duties and obligations to maintain awareness of the capabilities that we provide to Ukraine.” Despite Russia’s recent conquests, the administration sought to project optimism that Ukraine could still gain the upper hand, with the help of additional capabilities. Asked Friday if the Kremlin had momentum, the senior defense official described Russia’s progress as “very, very gradual, limited, hard, [and] very expensive.” “We don’t see it at all as Russia winning this battle,” the official said. “But the fighting is fierce and the Ukrainians must fight hard to prevent the Russians from achieving their goal.” The question remains, however, whether the West’s willingness to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons will last as long as Ukrainians are willing to defend their territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a speech this week that the artillery had “finally” and “strongly” had an impact on the battlefield, according to reports. In Moscow, meanwhile, the Russian parliament this week passed financial control measures to send more weapons and repair capabilities to the front line — a sign that its resources may be running low.
