Biden announces extra $800M in military aid to Ukraine
Washington, Apr 21 (EFE).- United States president Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800-million package in military aid for Ukraine as well as a temporary settlement scheme to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.
Biden’s announcement came a week after another $800-million in support for Ukraine and follows his meeting in Washington with Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyal.
The US president said the latest military aid was tailored to the new challenges presented by a shift in the conflict following Russia’s decision to regroup for a large-scale offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and included heavy artillery, dozens of Howitzers, 140,000 rounds of ammunition and tactical drones.
It is the latest in a long list of equipment and financing that Biden said was being sent to the “frontlines of freedom” in Ukraine.
“The sustained and coordinated support of the international community, led and facilitated by the United States, is a significant reason why Ukraine is able to stop Russia from taking over this country,” Biden added.
He said he would next week request from Congress a supplemental spending bill request to “keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption to the brave Ukrainian fighters and continue to deliver economic assistance to the Ukrainian people.”
On top of military aid, Biden announced $500 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine as well as a new refugee scheme dubbed Uniting for Ukraine, a fast-track temporary asylum service designed to take in up to 100,000 refugees who have a sponsor in the US such as a family member or an NGO.
Responding to the latest announcements, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement shared on his official Twitter page: “This help is needed today more than ever! It saves the lives of our defenders of democracy and freedom and brings us closer to restoring peace in Ukraine.”EFE
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