US to announce new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday
(VOVWORLD) - The United States will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, worth roughly 400 million USD and comprised mainly of ammunition, two officials and a person familiar with the package said.
Aid for Ukraine is expected to be a major topic when President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meet at the White House on Friday.
The package, the sources said on Thursday, is expected to contain more Guided Multiple Launch Rockets (GMLRS) for HIMARS launchers, ammunition for the Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as armored vehicle launched bridges.
The United States has provided nearly 32 billion USD in weaponry to Ukraine since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February last year.
In New Delhi at a G20 foreign ministers meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to end the conflict with Ukraine and urged Moscow to reverse its suspension of the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) on nuclear weapons, a senior US official said.
It was the first in person encounter between the top diplomats since the conflict.
The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Blinken spoke "on the move" for less than 10 minutes.
Russia accused the West of blackmail and threats and said it had China's support for its position.