STORY:
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing a $725 million weapons package for Ukraine.
That according to U.S. officials on Wednesday.
It’s an effort by the outgoing president to bolster the government in Kyiv before Donald Trump takes the White House in January.
Quickly winding down the war was one of Trump’s central promises on the campaign trail, though he’s avoided discussing details.
:: File
The package is said to include cluster munitions as well as a variety of antitank weapons, including landmines, which the United States has not exported in decades, and are controversial because of the potential harm to civilians.
Over 160 countries have signed a treaty banning their use, but Kyiv has been asking for them since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
:: File
::Ukrainian Ministry of Defence
The reported $725 million price tag 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.
:: File
Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125 million to $250 million.
The size and contents of the package could still change, but one official said that the formal notification to Congress could come as soon as Monday.
:: Russian Defence Ministry
Russian forces are currently making gains in Ukraine at the fastest rate since the early days of the invasion,
Analysts and war bloggers said this week that they have taken an area half the size of London over the past month.
