The Biden administration is expected to announce a $275 million arms package for Ukraine this week, a U.S. official told Fox News.
This package comes from Presidential Defunding Authority (PDA) funds, which means the weapons will be sourced from the US stockpile and delivered to Ukraine faster than the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package.
The weapons package includes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMAR) system, but does not include HIMAR ammunition, 155mm artillery shells, unmanned aerial vehicles or Javelin surface-to-air missiles, officials said.
The announcement regarding the weapons package would leave the US with $6.9 billion in PDA funding for Ukraine and $2.21 billion in USAI funding.
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On Monday, Ukrainian soldiers fired a howitzer near Chasiv Yar, Ukraine. (Handout via Reuters)
Last month, the United States used PDA funds to provide Ukraine with additional supplies and weapons to help Ukraine meet its most pressing needs at the time, including air defense, air-to-ground weapons, rocket systems, artillery ammunition, and armored ammunition. It provided $425 million. Vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
The latest package is timely because just two days ago, President Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles on Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously suggested that such actions would be considered an act of war.
On Tuesday, the Russian government announced that the Ukrainian military took advantage of Mr. Biden's green light to fire six U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (simply ATACMS) into Russian territory.
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The Yar intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired from the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia. (Russian Ministry of Defense Press Service, via AP/File)
Russia claims to have shot down five missiles and damaged a sixth. It added that debris fell in the area of a Russian military facility, but there were no casualties or damage other than a small fire.
Fox News received confirmation of the overnight strike from US officials.
Defense Department deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Shin told reporters at a briefing Tuesday that Russia is bringing more than 11,000 soldiers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to fight alongside Russian soldiers in Kursk. , said he escalated the war with Ukraine. region.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Kremlin pool photo via AP/File)
He also said the Biden administration is determined to continue providing Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield.
“We don't think it will escalate,” Singh said. “We think that's a promise we've made since the beginning of this administration.”
Asked if the Department of Defense (DOD) has reason to believe that more North Korean troops are heading to Russia, she said He believes there is a possibility, but said there are already more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers hiding there. Russian army.
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“So they're moving into a very specific area, the Kursk region, obviously to engage Ukrainian forces,” Singh said.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
