US Okays $825 Million Missile Sale To Ukraine Days After Putin-Trump Meet

The Donald Trump administration in the United States has approved a $825 million arms sale to Ukraine that will include extended-range missiles and related equipment to boost its defensive capabilities against Russian aggression. The announcement came weeks after the US President held a high-stakes meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv.

According to the US State Department, the deal includes the sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) missiles, 3,350 GPS guidance kits, along with components, spare parts and electronic warfare defences for the weapons, which have a range of "several hundred" miles.

The sale is being funded under the Jump Start program by NATO allies Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, with additional funding via the US Foreign Military Financing program.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe," the department said in a statement.

US-Ukraine Weapon Deals

The sale's announcement came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, earlier this month, said Kyiv would buy $100 billion of US weapons financed by Europe as part of a deal to get guarantees from the United States for its security after a peace settlement with Russia mechanism that would "truly strengthen our defence."

The potential sale adds to two other proposed US weapons sales to Ukraine. One worth $322 million to enhance its air defence capabilities and provide armoured combat vehicles, and another worth $330 million for air defence systems, as well as the maintenance, repair and overhaul of self-propelled artillery vehicles.

Russian Attacks Continue

Russia has, meanwhile, continued to step up attacks on Ukraine, as US-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction. Even after Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska earlier this month to find a settlement for the three-year-old conflict, Russian forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said Wednesday.

Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including four children.

The Kremlin, which claimed to have targeted military sites, insisted it was still interested in diplomacy, but that its strikes would "continue".