Kremlin says latest US aid for Kyiv shows Biden administration wants to keep Ukraine war going

Moscow: The Kremlin said on Tuesday that a US decision to send another weapons package to Ukraine worth $725 million showed that the outgoing Biden administration was determined to throw oil on the fire of the war in Ukraine to ensure the conflict kept going.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday that the new aid would include include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and drones and land mines.

Asked about the aid package, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:

"The current administration is pursuing its goals, its consistent line is to keep this war from slowing down.

"The (Biden) administration is doing everything it can to further add fuel to the fire. At the same time, this and other aid packages cannot change the course of events, cannot affect the dynamics on the frontlines."

The US announcement marks a steep uptick in size from President Joe Biden's recent use of so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the US to draw from current weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency.

Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125 million to $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion in PDA already authorised by Congress that he is expected to use for Ukraine before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.