Sharjah 24 – AFP: The US Defence Department on Friday announced a new $775 million arms package for Ukraine aiming to help Kyiv turn the tables and begin regaining territory taken by Russian forces.

The Russian war which began February 24 has been brought to a standstill, a senior Pentagon official told reporters, and the new package includes a range of precision missiles, anti-armor weaponry, surveillance drones, artillery and mine-clearing equipment that could boost Ukrainian offensive operations.

The new package, the 19th since the war began, comes as Ukraine forces have used ally-supplied precision guided weapons to strike far behind enemy lines, demolishing several dozen Russian arms depots and command centers since mid-June.

The new list of arms seems to be "for when the Ukrainians are ready to try a major advance," defence strategy expert Phillips O'Brien wrote on Twitter.