NYT: US approves transfer of 125 long-range artillery missiles and 100 Patriot missiles from Germany to Ukraine

The US has approved the transfer of 125 long-range artillery missiles and 100 Patriot missiles from Germany to Ukraine.

The NYT reports this, citing a Congressional official who made the announcement on Friday, May 9.

These weapons are manufactured in the United States, and even if they are already owned by another country, they can only be transferred with the permission of the American government. Long-range artillery rockets are used in multiple launch rocket systems, such as HIMARS (USA) or MARS II (German version).

Arms shipments to Ukraine during the Trump presidency

The US State Departmentʼs notification of certification of a proposed license to export defense goods to Ukraine worth $50 million was transmitted to the upper house of the US Congress. The list of documents for April 29 under the number EC-859 mentions a memo from an official of the US State Departmentʼs legal office to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which concerns Ukraine.

The memo reports a proposed license to export “defense-related goods, including technical data, and defense services to Ukraine worth $50 million or more”. This is the first such authorization for arms sales since Trump returned to the White House.

Earlier that day, Kyiv Post, citing sources, wrote that the Trump administration had informed Congress of its intentions to approve the export of military goods to Ukraine through a direct commercial sale mechanism for $50 million or more.

• On April 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had handed over to the United States a large list of weapons that it was ready to purchase. In particular, it was about the transfer of at least 10 Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. However, Trump himself, during a conversation with reporters on April 14, evaded answering questions about the purchase of the systems.
• On April 17, Zelensky said that Trump promised that the US would work on selling 10 Patriot systems to Ukraine.

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