US sending $1.8bn aid to Ukraine, including Patriot system

The United States will soon announce a $1.8bn military aid package for Kyiv, which will for the first time include a Patriot missile battery and precision-guided bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets, a top US official has said. The news comes amid reports the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit Washington, DC.

US officials described details of the aid package on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Media organisations also reported that Zelenskyy could travel to Washington, DC to meet US President Joe Biden and visit the US Congress. Zelenskyy’s spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the trip and security concerns could yet force the Ukrainian leader to change his plans.

The $1.8bn aid package due to be announced by Joe Biden, according to AP, signals an expansion in the kinds of advanced weaponry the US is sending Ukraine to bolster the country’s air defences against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missile attacks.

The package, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday, will include about $1bn in weapons from Pentagon stocks and another $800m in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds weapons, ammunition, training and other assistance, officials said.

The Biden administration’s decision to send the Patriot missile system comes despite Russian threats that delivery of such an advanced surface-to-air missile battery would be considered a provocative step and that the system – and any crews accompanying it – would be a legitimate target for Moscow’s military.

When the Patriot would arrive on the front lines in Ukraine is unknown and US forces must also train Ukrainians on how to use the high-tech system. That training could take several weeks and is expected to be undertaken at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

All US and Western allies’ training of Ukraine forces has taken place in European countries.

The expected announcement of the aid package comes as the US Congress is poised to approve another $44.9bn in assistance for Ukraine as part of a significant spending bill. That would ensure US support for Kyiv will continue in 2023 and beyond, as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives in January.

Some Republican politicians have expressed wariness about the amount of US assistance being channelled to Ukraine.

Also included in the soon-to-be-announced package will be an undisclosed number of Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, or JDAMs, officials said.

The kits will be used to modify bombs by adding tail fins and precision navigation systems so that rather than being simply dropped from a fighter jet onto a target, they can be guided to the target on release.