Biden announces $425 million in military aid to Ukraine

2024-10-16 20:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced on Wednesday that he has allocated 425 million dollars to help Ukraine strengthen its security in the fight against Russia.

He briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his efforts to "increase" security assistance to Ukraine during the remainder of his term, the White House said.

The package includes additional air defense weaponry, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles and critical munitions to meet Ukraine's urgent needs, a White House statement said.

Biden spoke on the phone with Zelensky about additional US aid to Ukraine, which is fighting a full-scale invasion by Russia.

"In the coming months, the United States will supply Ukraine with a number of additional weapons, including hundreds of air defense missiles, dozens of tactical air defense systems, other artillery systems, significant amounts of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and combat vehicles. for infantry, and thousands of other armored vehicles. All this will help to equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the communique says.

During the call, Zelensky informed Biden of his plan to achieve victory against Russia, and the two leaders "charged their teams with the mandate to engage in further consultations on next steps," the release said.

Biden aims to boost US military support for Ukraine ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, which could return former President Donald Trump to the White House in January.

Trump has hinted that he will seek to end the war quickly through negotiations, and many Republicans in Congress, including Trump's vice-presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance, have opposed sending more military aid to Ukraine.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic presidential nominee, have criticized Trump for his claims that he could end the war quickly, saying that would allow Moscow to keep the parts of Ukraine it currently controls and seek acquisition of other territories./REL