The White House has announced a new military assistance package worth $600 million, including demolition munition, artillery shells, and mine-clearing equipment, just after the US vowed to support Kyiv with $1 billion in war against the Kremlin. The package was announced on Thursday, very after the US secretary of state visited Kyiv on Wednesday and pledged a total of one billion dollars in further aid as humanitarian and military assistance. The current package will include a considerable amount of defense for Ukraine, which will be delivered later this year. The Pentagon stated on Thursday that the recent $600 million will add to Ukraine’s battlefield requirements and display unwavering US support.

However, the military aid will not be immediately available on the battlefield. It falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which involves Washington procuring equipment from the defense industry or partners instead of using US military stocks. This means this package will not directly affect the American Military stocks. The US President Joe Biden’s administration has made many military aid announcements to support Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia and clear vast minefields.

Some of the Ukrainian allies have raised objections to slow progress on the battlefield, while some partners are arguing Kyiv armies have made some achievements using proper air defense and knocked the Russian missiles down. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg expressed on Thursday that Ukrainian forces have been making much slower progress than foresighted, but they have been taking back their lands from Russian troops each day and creating an impact on the battlefield.

Experts Assume Fight Will Be Easier In Coming Days

Stoltenberg told a committee meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels, saying Kyiv has been gaining on the battleground, which shows the importance of foreign aid and support to Ukraine. He added it was essential to continue supporting Kyiv in its war against the powerful state, the Kremlin.

Stoltenberg expressed his gratitude for Ukrainian forces and said it was a difficult fight, but Zelenskyy’s forces could break through Russian defense lines. The Kremlin is the second most potent force in the world, and now it is the second strongest in Ukraine, which is impressive. Director of analysis for the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Trent Maul, said in an interview that there was a clear possibility that Ukrainian forces would break the Kremlin’s frontlines on the battlefield in the southern region by the end of the current year.

Maul added that Russian’s front lines will be weaker than anticipated. He said the frontlines, which have been a challenge for Ukrainian forces and made their counteroffensive’s progress slower, would be weaker than now, driving the conditions favoring Ukraine.

Institute of War (ISW), based in Washington, stated that Kyiv’s counteroffensive had made some gains and might succeed in the battleground against its prominent opponent, Russia. However, he said the fight would not be as easy as someone might anticipate. Russian defense positions are much more robust and cause challenges, American ISW said.

Zelenskyy Thanked United States For Support

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, expressed to the reporters that Ukraine has made some progress in the battleground and that new American assistance would help it maintain its position and strengthen its defense. White House is the biggest aid donor to Ukraine in supporting its war till now, and it further extinguished itself from all the other Ukrainian allies by announcing the new aid of 1 billion dollars, from which it declared $600 million on Thursday.

During his tour, Blinken also met with President Zelenskyy, who thanked America for the new Assistance package, but he also warned of new challenges on the battlefield in coming months as winter approaches. Zelenskyy added they were not alone in winter fighting its enemy, but he said they and their allies would fight together. Kremlin officials were asked about Blinken’s Ukraine visit; they responded, saying America wants to take the war to every last Ukrainian. The Russian official also added that American aid would not change Moscow’s special military operations.