US President Joe Biden who made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today, days before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, pledged a USD 500 million military aid package for the country.
Addressing a joint briefing alongside Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, Biden said, “We will announce USD 500 million in aid to Ukraine. This will consist of javelins, howitzers, and artillery ammunition. Later, we will announce additional sanctions against companies which are trying to back Russia.” Biden said the package would be announced on Tuesday and that Washington would also provide more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in Ukraine’s possession.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president has lauded Biden’s visit to Kyiv as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches. “Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
The US leader’s visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine with the war expected to intensify in the coming months as both sides prepare for anticipated spring offensives.
Zelenskyy is pressing allies to speed up the delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine – something that Biden to date has declined to do.
Biden declared from Kyiv on Monday that a year after invading Ukraine, “Putin’s war of conquest is failing.”
“Putin’s war conquest is failing. Russia’s military has lost half its territory once occupied. Young, talented Russians fleeing from Russia because they see no future in the country. Russia’s economy is isolated and struggling,” said Biden. “Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now, “