US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and announced a brand new military aid package ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on Saturday, their offices said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who also spoke together with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov on Friday, said on social media that the package was value $125 million.
In the phone call with Zelensky, Biden reiterated Washington's support for Ukraine within the war against Russia, which the White House described as “unwavering.”
The aid package includes anti-aircraft missiles, drone defense equipment, anti-tank missiles and ammunition, the White House statement said.
The calls got here ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day.
“Ukraine urgently needs the delivery of weapons from the announced packages, in particular additional air defense systems to reliably protect cities, communities and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said in an announcement after a phone call from his office.
After seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. The United States has since provided military aid and support to Ukraine, while concurrently imposing sanctions on Moscow over the invasion.
Washington has provided Ukraine with greater than $50 billion in military aid since 2022.
The war escalated on August 6, when Ukraine sent 1000’s of troops across the border into Russia's western Kursk region. Kyiv has since reported a variety of battlefield victories, but Russian troops proceed to advance steadily in eastern Ukraine.
Separately, the United States on Friday imposed sanctions on greater than 400 corporations and individuals for supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine, including Chinese corporations that U.S. officials say are helping Moscow evade Western sanctions and construct up its military.
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