The United States does not expect the military equipment it has sent to Ukraine, including the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), to immediately change the situation in Ukraine, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two US officials with direct knowledge of US intelligence assessments.
According to the sources, the Russian military has already destroyed some of the new weapons supplied by the West, including the M777 howitzers.
Last week, US President Joe Biden said he had notified Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington will provide Kiev with an additional security aid package in the amount of $1 billion.
The new package includes guided multiple launch rocket system munitions, 18 howitzers, 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and two additional Harpoon anti-ship missile systems, according to the Defense Department.
The package also includes $650 million from the Ukraine security assistance initiative funds, including two additional Harpoon coastal defense systems and thousands of secure radio and night vision devices and thermal weapon sites, the Defense Department added.
Last Wednesday, the Biden administration announced a military aid package for Ukraine that would include 1,000 anti-tank Javelin missiles, 50 command launch units and four Mi-17 helicopters as well as four HIMARS.
