US declares more arms for Ukraine

The US Department of Defense announced on Monday that it will send Ukraine another $350 million worth of military aid, as Kiev gears up for a spring offensive. The package is the 34th tranche of military aid doled out to Ukraine since August 2021, and includes ammunition for Kiev's US-provided HIMARS rocket artillery systems, 155mm artillery rounds, high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs), riverine patrol boats, and other anti-tank and mortar systems. Media reports have warned that the effort to arm Ukraine has depleted military inventories in the US and Europe, and US and EU officials are now concerned that its forces may lack the ammunition for a springtime offensive against Russia. The US has given Ukraine more than $32.5 billion in military aid since last February, out of more than $110 billion allocated by the administration of US President Joe Biden for military and economic assistance to Kiev. Russia has repeatedly warned that such military outlays will not change the outcome of the conflict but make Western nations de-facto participants in the hostilities.