Washington rolls out another $2.6bn in weapons for Ukraine’s coming counteroffensive

(Originally published April 5 in “What in the World“) The U.S. announced another $2.6 billion worth of weapons for Ukraine, bringing to $35.1 billion the total value of weapons it has supplied Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

The new aid includes $500 million of weapons from Washington’s own, rapidly diminishing arsenal, including rockets to launch from Ukraine’s Patriot missile systems and Himars as well as ammunition for its new tanks and missiles to destroy Russia’s tanks. The remaining $2.1 billion worth will come from purchases of new weapons, including more missiles for its Nasams anti-missile batteries. The new weapons are designed to help Ukraine prepare for its spring counteroffensive and ward off continued Russian bombardment.

Even as that counteroffensive approaches in Ukraine, the war in Syria appears to be heating back up. After U.S. forces retaliated against Iranian-backed militias last month, this month they attacked remnants of Islamic State in Syria, killing senior IS leader Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The attack took place near Deir es-Zur, which is only about 15km across the Euphrates from the U.S. base at Mission Support Site Conoco, likely situated just north of the Conoco gas plant outside Khasham. Khasham was the site of a 2018 battle between U.S. and Kurdish militias against Russian-backed Syrian government forces using Russian tanks and possibly accompanied by the same Russian mercenaries now operating in Ukraine, the Wagner Group.