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US President Joe Biden announces $425 million in arms aid to Ukraine
The package includes air defense and armored vehicles, the readout of the call said, also adding that Biden briefed Zelensky “on his efforts to enhance security assistance to Ukraine during the remainder of his term in office.”
Ukraine: US President Joe Biden announced a $425 million arms package for Kyiv on Wednesday in a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of his farewell trip to Berlin to discuss Ukraine, the White House said.
The package includes air defense and armored vehicles, the readout of the call said, also adding that President Biden briefed Mr. Zelensky “on his efforts to enhance security assistance to Ukraine during the remainder of his term in office.”
It said Mr Biden will also hold a virtual meeting of Ukraine’s allies in November as he tries to shore up international support for Kiev ahead of Donald Trump’s likely return to the White House in January 2025.
There was no mention, however, of whether to allow Ukraine to fire Western-made long-range missiles deep into Russia, a move that Biden has so far been reluctant to greenlight.
The White House said the $425 million package includes “additional air defence capabilities, air-to-ground weapons, armored vehicles and critical weapons to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs”.
It said the United States would provide hundreds of air defence missiles, artillery, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and thousands of additional armoured vehicles in the coming months.
Meanwhile Mr Zelensky “briefed President Biden on his plan to win over Russia and the two leaders tasked their teams to engage in further consultations on next steps”. Mr Zelensky said on X that he had spoken to Biden and thanked him for the package, which includes “long-range weapons”. “I am grateful to President Biden, both parties in Congress and the American people for the $425 million defence package announced today,” said the Ukrainian president, who is due to meet EU leaders on Thursday. The United States has provided Ukraine with about $175 billion in military and economic aid during the war, despite persistent opposition from Republicans. The call came on the eve of Mr Biden’s stormy visit to Germany, where Ukraine will be top of the agenda. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may also join the talks, along with Mr Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to media reports.
