US to Provide Ukraine With Even More Intel, Heavier Equipment in Near Future - Report

Meanwhile, the White House announced that it will send $800 million in additional weapons to Kiev, including artillery, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters, to assist Ukrainian forces in fending off a purported Russian offensive in the country's east.

The Biden administration is expanding the intelligence it provides to Ukraine's forces so they may target Russian troops in Donbass and Crimea, as part of a shift in US backing that also includes a new security assistance package with stronger weaponry, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

According to undisclosed officials within the White House, the decision was made last week to increase intelligence cooperation in order to help the Ukrainian military better understand the Russian troop movement in order to hit them with artillery, drone attacks, and other weaponry, including those provided by the US.

Notably, under the new strategy, however, the US would refrain from supplying intelligence that would allow the Ukrainians to strike targets on Russian territory, a constraint set by Washington to reduce the possibility of the conflict spreading further, according to the report.

“As the conflict evolves, we continue to adjust to ensure that operators have the flexibility to share detailed, timely intelligence with the Ukrainians,” an unknown US intelligence official is quoted in the report as saying.

More to that, the office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines reportedly produced intelligence-sharing guidance for US espionage agencies, while the office of the Defense Secretary issued a parallel guide for military operations.

The previous US intelligence arrangements were put in place when American officials predicted that one of the directions of the Russian special military operation would be targeting Kiev.

The report noted that - at the time - the Biden administration was concerned about the risk of escalating tensions with Moscow. And apparently, as of now, the White House decision to share more intelligence and provide artillery signals a shift in the US' approach to the conflict, and comes after Kiev has been repeatedly requesting tanks, aircraft, and other heavy armament from the US and NATO partners for weeks.

Earlier, the US shared intelligence with Ukraine about Russian capabilities in the Donbass breakaway republics and Crimea, but stopped short of sharing targeting data that would allow Kiev's military to take offensive action to try to reclaim the lands.

Sources reportedly noted that in light of the expected resumption of fighting, it was Republican lawmakers who pressed for additional intelligence to be supplied to Kiev, prompting the administration to reassess intelligence-sharing arrangements.

In a Thursday testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hinted at the impending change in intelligence sharing, telling members that the administration was planning to provide updated guidance. Austin reportedly stated the earlier guidance did not make it clear that such intelligence may be used to help the Ukrainians to launch an attack at Donbass and Crimea.

After that, US intelligence authorities and Pentagon officials started working to amend the intelligence guidance.

New US Lethal Weaponry Package to Ukraine

Biden's latest armaments package is the first time the US has deployed its own-built artillery to Ukraine. The US will reportedly have to instruct the Ukrainians on how to use the 18 155 mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery ammunition that are being provided. According to the Pentagon, this training will most likely be carried out by US personnel already stationed in Eastern Europe.

A total of 200 M-113 armored personnel carriers, 100 armored Humvees, two radars to detect the source of enemy artillery fire, two air observation radars, Claymore anti-personnel mines, and chemical and biological warfare protection equipment are said to be among the other systems.

The US is also reportedly transferring unmanned naval vessels, which are expected to largely be used for reconnaissance tasks, although some officials have speculated that the Ukrainians may equip them to hit targets at sea, according to US media.

Eleven Russian-made Mi-17 cargo helicopters are also part of the latest support package. In 2021, Ukrainians already received five Mi-17 helicopters.

The new capabilities being handed, according to Biden, are "tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine."

According to the statements, Russia is redeploying soldiers to Ukraine's south and east, as the first stage of its special military operation, reduction in combat capability of Ukrainian troops, was officially recognized as complete. The respite in hostilities has been seized by Ukraine to increase its pleas to the West for more armaments and sanctions against Russia.

Thousands of Javelin anti-tank guns, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, and other lethal weapons have already been given by the Biden administration. The US, on the other hand, has put a stop to delivering Ukraine combat aircraft, which the White House thinks may cause Russia to regard the US as belligerent in the conflict. It has also refused to comply with Ukraine's demands that the US and NATO countries impose a no-fly zone over the country.