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US officials revealed that Washington's upcoming arms assistance package for Ukraine will be around $1 billion, including 155mm artillery and anti-aircraft ammunition.
CNN quoted sources as saying that the latest weapons package is expected to be announced after the US Senate approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in a vote on April 23, local time.
This is the 56th US aid package for Kiev since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
"We have created a rapid logistics network to move aid. We can move some things faster," Bloomberg news agency quoted US Department of Defense spokesman Patt Ryder as saying.
A document from the US Department of Defense sent to US lawmakers in February 2024 showed that Washington will prioritize the transfer of 155mm artillery and anti-radar missiles. There will also be Bradley fighting vehicles and weapons of destruction.
In meetings in the US Congress in recent weeks, officials of President Joe Biden's administration have mentioned sending long-range tactical missiles ATACMS to Ukraine.
Last fall, the US first sent Ukraine the medium-range version of the ATACMS missile system, which has a range of about 160km, while the long-range version can fire more than 300km.
Ukraine has been pressing the United States to provide long-range missiles to strike targets deeper behind Russian lines, but Washington fears this will further provoke Moscow.
However, the situation on the Ukrainian battlefield has become increasingly serious in recent months, with Kiev's forces at a disadvantage while US aid has stalled.
Recently, CIA Director Bill Burns warned that Ukraine could lose by the end of the year without US support. Meanwhile, the top US general in Europe, Chris Cavoli, said that Russia has a 10-to-1 artillery advantage over Ukraine.
Last weekend, Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CBS that he expected ATACMS missiles to be sent to Ukraine by the end of next week.
"It should have happened six months ago. The next best time is now. Get this additional equipment out as quickly as possible, I hope after it gets to the president on Tuesday or Wednesday, those shipments will be delivered along with the ATACMS long-range missiles," Warner said.
TN (Synthesis)