logo
US approves $322 million in arms sales to Ukraine

US approves $322 million in arms sales to Ukraine

Nahar Net24-07-2025
The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of $322 million in arms sales to bolster Ukraine's air defenses and its armored combat vehicles.
The announcement of the sales comes after Washington temporarily halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine earlier this month even as Kyiv faced heavy Russian missile and drone attacks.
The sale of HAWK air defense equipment and sustainment will cost up to $172 million, while Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle equipment and services will total up to $150 million, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
The proposed HAWK equipment sale "will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust air defense capability," DSCA said.
And the Bradley equipment and services will help meet Ukraine's "urgent need to strengthen local sustainment capabilities to maintain high operational rates for United States provided vehicles and weapon systems," it said.
The State Department approved the possible sales and the DSCA provided the required notification to the US Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transactions.
The latest proposed military sale to Ukraine follows another announced in early May valued at $310.5 million for F-16 training and sustainment.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from the United States.
Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than $65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.
But President Donald Trump -- long skeptical of assistance for Ukraine -- has not followed suit, announcing no new military aid packages for Kyiv since he returned to office in January.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump confirms US envoy Witkoff to travel to Russia
Trump confirms US envoy Witkoff to travel to Russia

Nahar Net

time8 hours ago

  • Nahar Net

Trump confirms US envoy Witkoff to travel to Russia

by Naharnet Newsdesk 04 August 2025, 11:40 Donald Trump has confirmed his special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia in the coming week, ahead of a deadline the U.S. president has set for imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow. Speaking to reporters, Trump also said that two nuclear submarines he deployed following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev were now "in the region." Trump has not said whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the U.S. military. The nuclear saber-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump at the end of next week for Russia to take steps towards ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. The Republican leader said Witkoff would visit "I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday." Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met Witkoff multiple times in Moscow, before Trump's efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin came to a grinding halt. When reporters asked what Witkoff's message would be to Moscow, and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid the sanctions, Trump replied: "Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed." - 'Secondary tariffs' - Trump has previously threatened that new measures could mean "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia has continued its onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half-year invasion were "unchanged." "We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries," Putin told reporters. But he added that "the conditions (from the Russian side) certainly remain the same." Russia has frequently called on Ukraine to effectively cede control of four regions Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable. Putin also wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join NATO. Ukraine launched a drone attack Sunday which sparked a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Kyiv has said it will intensify its air strikes against Russia in response to an increase in Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks, which have killed dozens of civilians. Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Monday, its air defenses intercepted 61 Ukrainian drones overnight. One person was killed by Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region, Ukraine's military administration said in Telegram post early Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Sunday that the two sides were preparing a prisoner exchange that would see 1,200 Ukrainian troops return home, following talks with Russia in Istanbul in July. Trump began his second term with his own rosy predictions that the war in Ukraine -- raging since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022 -- would soon end. In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with Putin over Moscow's unrelenting offensive.

Damascus reaches out to Moscow to renew ties on new grounds
Damascus reaches out to Moscow to renew ties on new grounds

L'Orient-Le Jour

time2 days ago

  • L'Orient-Le Jour

Damascus reaches out to Moscow to renew ties on new grounds

The meeting marks the most important diplomatic contact between Syria and Russia since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was received Thursday in Moscow by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. This is their first visit since the Kremlin-supported Assad regime was overthrown, a turning point that significantly reduced Moscow's influence in Syria and left the future of their bilateral relations uncertain. After helping the ousted president and his family escape from rebel forces advancing toward Damascus, Russia now needs to rebuild its relationships with a new government eager to break the image of being a puppet. Context Russia, Syria to bolster ties, review Assad-era agreements "We are here to represent a new Syria," Shaibani declared during the meeting,...

Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia

Nahar Net

time2 days ago

  • Nahar Net

Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days. Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real -- and rarely publicized -- sphere of nuclear forces. "Based on the highly provocative statements," Trump said he had "ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that." "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances," the 79-year-old Republican posted. Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the U.S. military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were "closer to Russia." "We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," he said. "I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that." Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end. The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore. An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July. Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were "unchanged". Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO. Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists "have chosen a place for future positions" of the Oreshnik missiles. "Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year," he added. - Insults, nuclear rhetoric - The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons. Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's "nuclear" reference prompted him to reposition U.S. nuclear submarines. "When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat," Trump said in the interview. Medvedev had criticized Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the "fabled 'Dead Hand'" -- a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons. This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the "dead economies" of Russia and India. Medvedev had also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Accusing Trump of "playing the ultimatum game," he posted Monday on X that Trump "should remember" that Russia is a formidable force. Trump responded by calling Medvedev "the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President." Medvedev should "watch his words," Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. "He's entering very dangerous territory!" Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war -- and generally antagonistic to relations with the West. He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power. The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging. But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited. In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-story apartment block torn open by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders. "The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness," he wrote on X.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store