(Reuters) - The United States will send Ukraine $725 million of missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines and other weapons, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, as President Joe Biden's outgoing administration seeks to bolster Kyiv in its war with Russian invaders before leaving office in January.
The assistance will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), drones and land mines, among other items, Blinken said in a statement.
Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration planned to provide the equipment, much of it anti-tank weapons, to ward off Russia's attacking forces.
Moscow's troops have been capturing village after village in Ukraine's east, part of a drive to seize the industrial Donbas region, while Russian airstrikes target a hobbled Ukrainian energy grid as winter sets in.
"The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression," Blinken's statement said.
The announcement marks a steep uptick in size from Biden's recent use of so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the U.S. to draw from current weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency.
Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125 million to $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion in PDA already authorized by Congress that he is expected to use for Ukraine before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
WAITING FOR TRUMP
Trump is widely expected to change U.S. strategy on Ukraine, after he criticized the scale of Biden's support for Kyiv and made quickly winding down the war a central campaign promise. Last week, he picked Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war, to serve as special envoy for the conflict.
Kellogg's plan for ending the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory, involves freezing the battle lines at their prevailing locations and forcing both Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June.
The tranche of weapons represents the first time in decades that the United States has exported land mines, the use of which is controversial because of the potential harm to civilians.
Although more than 160 countries have signed a treaty banning their use, Kyiv has been asking for them since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022, and Russian forces have used them on the front lines.
The land mines that would be sent to Ukraine are "non-persistent," with a power system that lasts for just a short time, leaving the devices non-lethal. This means that - unlike older landmines - they would not threaten civilians indefinitely.
On March 31, 2025, European diplomats met in Madrid to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
Russian drones struck a military hospital, shopping centre, apartment blocks, and other targets in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, late on Saturday. The attacks resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least 25 others, according to local officials and the Ukrainian military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine expects a firm response from Western countries to the relentless Russian drone attacks occurring almost daily on its territory.
The Norwegian Government has decided to provide a total of NOK 3 billion in humanitarian support to Ukraine and to the refugee response in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries in 2025.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has completed the Seventh Review of the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Ukraine, enabling a disbursement of about $0.4 billion, which will be allocated for budget support.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Monday that a court's decision to bar her from office for misuse of European funds ruled her out of the 2027 presidential election, adding she had no confidence in an appeal being heard before the vote.
On March 31, 2025, European diplomats met in Madrid to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
President Trump confirmed he is serious about a potential third term, despite constitutional limits, saying it is “far too early” to decide. While U.S. presidents are restricted to two terms, Trump allies are exploring ways to challenge this rule ahead of the 2028 election.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office for five years after being convicted of embezzlement, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential race. She received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen plans to appeal.
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilots, monitoring a Chinese navy warship as it navigated Australian waters, were alerted to a live-fire exercise via a civilian radio broadcast, defense officials revealed on Tuesday.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s Sagaing region, followed by a 6.4-magnitude tremor, killing 2056 people and leaving 3,900 injured. The quake caused building collapses in Myanmar and Thailand, prompting emergency declarations and ongoing rescue efforts.
As the world shifts toward clean energy at an ever-accelerating pace, large economies are scrambling to secure reliable supply chains for rare earth minerals. These minerals, once seen as mere industrial components, have become a political tool in the global power struggle
Russian forces carried out a drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, late Wednesday, injuring at least twenty one people and causing structural damage, according to Ukrainian officials.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Monday that a court's decision to bar her from office for misuse of European funds ruled her out of the 2027 presidential election, adding she had no confidence in an appeal being heard before the vote.
On March 31, 2025, European diplomats met in Madrid to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
President Trump confirmed he is serious about a potential third term, despite constitutional limits, saying it is “far too early” to decide. While U.S. presidents are restricted to two terms, Trump allies are exploring ways to challenge this rule ahead of the 2028 election.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office for five years after being convicted of embezzlement, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential race. She received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen plans to appeal.
Three of the four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing in Lithuania last week when their vehicle sunk in a peat bog have been found dead. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressed deep sorrow and stated that the search for the remaining soldier is ongoing.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Monday that a court's decision to bar her from office for misuse of European funds ruled her out of the 2027 presidential election, adding she had no confidence in an appeal being heard before the vote.
On March 31, 2025, European diplomats met in Madrid to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
President Trump confirmed he is serious about a potential third term, despite constitutional limits, saying it is “far too early” to decide. While U.S. presidents are restricted to two terms, Trump allies are exploring ways to challenge this rule ahead of the 2028 election.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office for five years after being convicted of embezzlement, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential race. She received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen plans to appeal.
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