Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces renewed assault

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has committed to keeping US weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces one of its toughest moments against a renewed assault by Russia.

Mr Austin and as many as 50 defence leaders from Europe and around the world are meeting on Monday to coordinate more military aid to Ukraine, as Kyiv tries to hold off a Russian offensive in the north-east while launching its own massive assault on the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

“We’re meeting in a moment of challenge,” Mr Austin said, noting that Russia’s new onslaught of Kharkiv showed why international commitment to helping Ukraine is vital.

Mr Austin vowed to keep US weapons moving “week after week”.

The US announced no new aid packages on Monday, even as Ukrainian forces continue to complain that weapons are just trickling into the country after being stalled for months due to gridlock in US congress over funding.

Pentagon officials said that weapons pre-positioned in Europe began moving into Ukraine soon after the aid funding was approved.

It is unclear how much of that has reached some of the front lines, where Russian troops have intensified their assault.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday during a visit to China that Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone, but that there are no plans to capture the city.

Ukrainian troops have been fighting to halt Russian advances in the Kharkiv region, while also increasing their offensive attacks in Crimea, including on military infrastructure sites on the Black Sea coast and in the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol.

Ukraine has also struggled to get enough troops to the front lines, as the war drags on into its third year and fighting takes its toll.

In an effort to increase troop numbers, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two laws, allowing prisoners to join the army and increasing fines for draft dodgers fivefold. The controversial mobilisation law goes into effect on Saturday.

In the three weeks since President Joe Biden signed the 95 billion dollar (£74.7 billion) foreign aid package, the US has sent 1.4 billion dollars (£1.1 billion) in weapons pulled from Pentagon stockpiles and announced it was providing six billion dollars (£4.7 billion) in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

USAI pays for longer-term contracts with the defence industry and means that the weapons could take many months or years to arrive.

In recent packages the US has agreed to send High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and rockets for them, as well as munitions for Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank munitions, and an array of armoured vehicles, such as Bradley and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

The US is also providing additional coastal and riverine patrol boats, trailers, demolition munitions, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, protective gear, spare parts and other weapons and equipment.

The State Department has also approved a proposed emergency sale of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine for an estimated 30 million dollars (£23.6 million).

The department said Ukraine has asked to buy three of the rocket systems, which would be funded by the government of Germany.

The US has now provided about 50.6 billion dollars (£39.8 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.