Exclusive: The U.S. is set to provide an additional $150 million in military aid to Ukraine

Three U.S. military officials told Voice of America that the United States is expected to provide an additional $150 million in military aid to Ukraine by October 25. This news comes a week after Ukraine used the latest weapons received from the U.S. to strike military targets deep within Russian-controlled eastern regions. According to two officials who spoke to Voice of America on condition of anonymity, this package includes GMLRS rockets, primarily used for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, munitions for advanced surface-to-air missile systems, anti-tank missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, and 155mm shells. The availability of 155mm shells in recent days has raised concerns, as both Ukraine and Israel, U.S. partners, require these shells in their respective wars; one against the Russian invasion, the other against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed hundreds of civilians in a 'brazen' terrorist attack and kidnapped dozens more. Washington has stated that it can meet the military needs of both Tel Aviv and Kyiv. According to a senior U.S. Defense Department official, earlier this year, the U.S. sent some 155mm shells from its military stockpiles in Israel to its stockpiles in Europe, but following Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, many of these shells were returned to Israel for use by the Israeli military. Last week, Ukraine targeted Russian forces after the U.S. secretly provided a small number of long-range ballistic missiles. The missiles provided to Ukraine have a range of up to about 170 kilometers, nearly double that of other Ukrainian artillery missiles, allowing Ukraine to reach deeper into Russian-controlled territory. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has provided approximately $44 billion in military and security assistance to Ukraine. European leaders met with Biden at the White House focused on aid to Israel and Ukraine. Biden requested $106 billion from Congress for a military and humanitarian aid package for Israel and Ukraine. Russia extended the detention of an American journalist for another 43 days. Lavrov is traveling to Tehran for talks with regional counterparts. McConnell stated that China, Russia, and Iran are a new axis of evil that the U.S. must confront. The White House asked Congress for $106 billion to assist Ukraine and Israel.