The Donald Trump administration has approved its first sale of weapons to Ukraine after signing a memorandum of intent to exploit Ukrainian mineral wealth, suggesting that US foreign and defence policy under its current president will be driven by economic policy.
The U.S Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced that the Trump administration had approved the sale of parts, maintenance and training for F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine worth $310m.
The U.S sale announcement did not include operational F-16 aircraft or missiles, but European allies of Ukraine have reportedly promised a total of 85 working F-16s.
This sale represented the first military aid from the Trump administration to Ukraine, and the first aid Ukraine would be paying for.
The previous administration of President Joe Biden provided $130bn in financial and military grants to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first publicly offered to buy US weapons systems on 15th of April, specifically asking for Patriot air defence systems.
