Biden announces additional $800m in weapons for Ukraine

(Update 1: Adds detail)

Madrid, Jun 30 (EFE).- United States president Joe Biden on Thursday said Washington would announce an additional $800 million in weaponry to be delivered to Ukraine.

The White House leader was speaking at a press conference at the closing of a Nato summit in the Spanish capital Madrid.

“In the next few days we intend to announce over $800 million more including new advanced Western air defense systems for Ukraine, more artillery and ammunition, counter battery radars, additional ammunition for the HIMARs multiple launch rocket systems we’ve already given Ukraine, and more HIMARs from other countries as well,” he said.

Biden highlighted that the US had already provided $7 billion in security systems since he took office.

He said the US would stand by Ukraine “as long as it takes” and said Washington was leading the rallying call for nations to offer their support to Kyiv in the face of Russia’s invasion.

Biden’s closing statement to the summit, being held amid tight security in Madrid, came after the alliance approved its new security roadmap for the next decade in which it designated Russia as posing a “direct threat” to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic Area.

“The world has changed (…) and Nato is changing as well,” Biden said, describing Sweden and Finland’s decision to join the alliance after decades of neutrality as a “historic act.”

“We’re more united than ever, and with the addition of Finland and Sweden, we’re going to be stronger than ever, they have serious militaries, both of them, we’re going to increase the Nato border by 800 miles along the Finnish-Russian border.”

He also laid the blame for rising food and fuel prices — the latter being a particularly contentious political issue in the US — with Russia, reiterating that his administration would stay the course with Ukraine. EFE

ssa/jt