US Approves $310M Ukraine F-16 Deal Days After Securing Access to Rare Minerals

By Staff, Agencies

The US Department of State has approved a potential $310 million military deal to support Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet training and sustainment, just days after Kiev finalized an agreement granting Washington access to its rare mineral resources.

According to a Pentagon statement released Friday, the package includes ground handling equipment, software support [both classified and unclassified], engineering and logistics services, and studies and surveys. The deal’s principal contractors are Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, BAE Systems and AAR Corporation.

This agreement also paves the way for Ukraine to receive additional military equipment, including M1 Abrams tanks and long-range missiles, alongside the continued transfer of F-16 jets. These transfers are part of an initiative first authorized under former President Joe Biden, enabling allied countries to supply Ukraine with F-16s.

Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the us has delivered approximately $31 billion in weapons and military equipment to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority [PDA], which allows the president to approve rapid transfers from existing US military stockpiles without congressional approval.

On Wednesday, the us and Ukraine signed a long-anticipated agreement on rare minerals, giving Washington access to Ukraine’s highly valuable reserves and launching the United States–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.

While President Donald Trump has pledged to end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, the ongoing war continues to be fueled by steady us military support for Ukraine, coupled with superficial diplomatic gestures that lack a substantive roadmap for peace.

Unlike its actions in Ukraine, the US has remained largely silent on the “Israeli” entity’s ongoing military aggression, including hundreds of strikes on Syria, reflecting a continued policy of selective interventionism.