WASHINGTON – The US is working round the clock to provide Ukraine with supplies to defend itself against an intensified Russian attack that could target Kharkiv, the White House said on May 10.

Russian forces launched an armoured ground attack on May 10 near Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv in the north-east of the country and made small inroads, opening a new front in a war that has long been waged in the east and south.

“It is certainly possible that the Russians are setting themselves up for a larger assault on Kharkiv,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, referring to signs that Russia appears to be preparing to use long-range fire within range of Kharkiv.

“You’re not going to do that if you’re not also thinking about some other larger assault directly on the city,” Mr Kirby said.

The US is preparing a US$400 million (S$542 million) military aid package for Ukraine, as it returns to a regular pace of supplying weapons to Kyiv after lawmakers passed a US$95 billion Bill, the White House said on May 10.

The Ukraine aid package includes artillery, munitions for Nasams air defences, anti-tank munitions, armoured vehicles and small arms that can immediately be put to use on the battlefield, a US official told Reuters.

The weapons aid will utilise Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without specific congressional approval during an emergency.

As part of the US$95 billion aid Bill, the US Congress authorised US$60.8 billion worth of various forms of aid to Ukraine, including US$8 billion worth of PDA items. REUTERS