Local residents and emergency services in front of a building destroyed by a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia / Photo: Sopa Images / Sipa Press

The United States will provide Ukraine with more than 500 interceptor missiles in the coming weeks, significantly accelerating military assistance to support the country’s defence capabilities. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the Wall Street Journal.

An anonymous Pentagon official told the WSJ that the US administration is aiming to complete military aid deliveries by April, before the new president is inaugurated, given Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

In particular, the supply of interceptors for the Patriot and NASAMS air defence systems is intended to meet Ukraine’s air defence needs by the end of the year.

Reuters notes that it cannot independently verify this information, and the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence, the Pentagon and the State Department have not yet commented.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to call on allies to increase arms supplies, including long-range missiles, to strengthen the counter-offensive against Russian forces.

The war in Ukraine remains one of the biggest confrontations between Russia and the West since the Cold War, and according to Russian officials, it is approaching the “most dangerous phase”.

The Joe Biden administration also announced on Friday that it would allow US defence contractors to operate in Ukraine to maintain and repair weapons, a significant shift in policy in support of Kyiv in its war with Russia.