US President Donald Trump will send weapons to Kiev for the first time since returning to power using presidential powers often used by his predecessor, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
More than three years after Russia invaded a neighboring country, the Trump administration will designate weapons from US stockpiles to be sent to Ukraine under the presidential emergency provision mechanism, officials said. One of them told Reuters that their value could be around $300 million.
On Tuesday, the US president said the US would send more weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against the increasing Russian offensive.
The military aid package could include Patriot missile defense systems and medium-range offensive missiles, but a final decision on the military equipment that will be included in the delivery is likely to be made later today.
The Trump administration will only send weapons approved by former President Joe Biden, who was a staunch supporter of Kiev, Reuters notes.
The presidential emergency mechanism allows the head of state to withdraw weapons from the country's stockpiles to help allied countries in emergencies.
Trump's position on Ukraine's defense has been inconsistent, Reuters notes. Sometimes he criticizes American spending and speaks in favor of Russia, and at other times he expresses support for Kiev and is dismissive of the Kremlin.
The United States has another $ 3.86 billion available under the presidential emergency mechanism for Ukraine. The latest aid allocation under this line was worth $500 million and was announced by President Biden on January 9.
Among Ukraine's top priorities are Patriot systems and mobile missile launchers, which may be included in the military aid package. The weapons could be on the front lines in just a few days, as the stockpiles are located in Europe.
June saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022, with 232 killed and 1,343 injured, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA, citing the UN Human Rights Office in Ukraine.
The office noted that the main cause of civilian casualties in June were strikes with long-range missiles and kamikaze drones against urban areas. In such circumstances, 53% of all casualties were killed or injured.
The largest number of attacks with large numbers of casualties were carried out against Dnipro, Kiev and Kharkiv. The number of missiles and kamikaze drones launched by Russia in June this year was ten times higher than in June 2024.
According to the report, the number of civilian casualties in settlements located on the front line also remains high. There, people were killed or injured mainly after attacks by drones with a short range, mainly in Kherson and Donetsk regions.
Almost all civilian casualties (98%) were in areas controlled by the Ukrainian government. Killings were recorded in 16 Ukrainian regions and in the capital Kiev.
The UN Human Rights Office in Ukraine also documented at least 13 attacks on energy infrastructure in Kiev-controlled territories in June and seven attacks in Russian-occupied areas.
At least two attacks on energy facilities in the Kherson region - on June 11 and 27 - caused large-scale power outages and the introduction of planned power cuts in the city of Kherson.
Ukrinform also recalls that the number of children killed in the war has tripled in the past three months.