US greenlights nearly $330M military package for Ukraine
The U.S. approved a nearly $330 million package of military sales to Ukraine, including an extension of satellite communications services for its Starlink terminals and equipment and services to sustain its Patriot air defense systems.
The State Department revealed in a statement Friday that services to help maintain the Patriot systems will cost about $179.1 million — which entails spare parts, software updates, modification kits, communication equipment and other items.
“Implementation of this proposed sale will require approximately five U.S. Government and fifteen contractor representatives to travel to the United States European Command to support training and periodic meetings,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in the notice.
The State Department, in a separate statement, announced its approval for the sale of satellite communications services for Ukraine’s Starlink terminals, which also includes technical and logistics support services, with the cost expected to total about $150 million.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” DSCA wrote in the notice.
The news came a day after the Trump administration approved the sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles and 3,350 GPS units, part of a $825 million arms deal that was greenlighted hours after the Russian military pounded Kyiv with a massive aerial attack that killed 23 people and injured dozens.
Earlier this month, Germany said it would deliver two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine as part of a new weapons deal struck by Trump with NATO.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have continued despite pressure from the U.S. and European leaders to come to a ceasefire agreement. The Kremlin’s military launched strikes overnight Saturday on Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, killing at least one woman and injuring dozens of others.
Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal thanked Washington for the arms sales, saying that Patriot air defense systems are “vital” for Ukraine.
“They protect our people, our cities, and our critical infrastructure from relentless Russian air attacks,” Shmyhal wrote Saturday morning on social platform X.