Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is aiming to accelerate a massive United States military aid package, asking Washington to deliver the full £24 billion ($30 billion) earmarked across two years entirely in 2025. This request follows a landmark agreement signed this week between Kyiv and Washington granting the United States access to Ukraine’s critical earth minerals and other valuable natural resources.
During a press interaction on Saturday, President Zelenskyy explained that the newly established Investment Fund for the Restoration of Ukraine, part of the minerals deal, makes it possible for Ukraine to receive the full sum earlier than initially scheduled. Under the agreement, Ukraine was originally set to receive £12 billion ($15 billion) in 2025 and another £12 billion ($15 billion) in 2026. Zelenskyy is now lobbying to consolidate both tranches for immediate disbursement next year.
Zelenskyy outlined that the entire £24 billion ($30 billion) would serve as the United States’ contribution to the recovery fund, which Ukraine will begin repaying no earlier than 2030. The fund is expected to play a significant role in rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure and sustaining military resistance against Russian aggression.
Notably, the US State Department has approved the potential sale of £248 million ($310 million) in F-16 training and support equipment to Ukraine, further boosting the country’s aerial defence capabilities.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military operations against Russia and its occupying forces have escalated. Ukrainian SU-27 fighter aircraft recently destroyed a key Russian command post in the Kharkiv region using US-supplied GBU-62 precision-guided munitions. Telegram reports show Russian troops bringing equipment into the facility shortly before the strike. In parallel, drones have targeted the Zvezda military intelligence site in Russia’s Stavropol region, a facility central to Russia’s space and cyber espionage infrastructure.
Also under fire was Russia’s illegally occupied Crimea. A barrage of drone strikes lit up the peninsula overnight on May 2nd, hitting military bases and triggering fires near sensitive areas. Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council stressed that these attacks are part of legitimate efforts to demilitarise Crimea, which Russia continues to use as a launchpad for strikes against Ukrainian cities.
Further strengthening the squeeze on Russia, a US Senate bill, backed by 72 members, proposes new devastating sanctions. The legislation includes a five hundred percent tariff on imports from any country that purchases Russian fossil fuels or uranium. It also seeks to ban American citizens from buying Russian government bonds. The bill’s backer, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Donald Trump, is pushing this hardline stance amid growing strains between US lawmakers and the Russian dictator.
