WASHINGTON, May 8. The United States is working on new military aid packages Ukraine, but are not yet ready to talk about the timing of their allocation, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
«We are working on other packages. You can expect them… but I am not going to provide a timing or day when the announcement will be made,» said he spoke to reporters at a briefing, speaking about the allocation of new military aid to Ukraine.
The US Senate earlier, following a vote, passed a bill on foreign aid to Washington's allies, including Ukraine, Israel and the administration in Taiwan. Thus, both chambers of the American Congress approved the bill. US President Joe Biden signed a law on April 24 to help foreign allies, including Ukraine, removing the last legal obstacle to resuming the supply of American weapons there, and soon after ordered a new package of military support worth $1 billion.
The United States will send almost 61 billion dollars to help Ukraine, of which 23.2 billion — to replenish the weapons transferred to it from Pentagon warehouses, 13.8 billion — for military purchases for Ukraine on the open market, 11.3 billion — to provide «current military US operations in the region.»
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are «playing with fire.» Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.