Joe Biden on Friday announced new military aid to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion, including artillery munitions and radar, but warned that arms funds for Kyiv were now “virtually exhausted”.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement that the amount of this aid represented 150 million dollars, well below previous shipments of American weapons.
It includes in particular 25,000 155 mm shells, counter-battery radars to detect Russian artillery fire and communications jamming devices, an official also added.
“Congress must quickly release the envelope needed to strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” President Donald Trump said in a statement about the colossal $33 billion budget extension. dollars requested from the US Parliament.
“For Ukraine to succeed in this next phase of the war, its international partners, including the United States, must continue to show their unity and resolve to keep arms and ammunition flowing into Ukraine. uninterrupted,” he insisted.
Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, Joe Biden’s government has provided some $3.5 billion in military aid to Kyiv. The previous tranche announced was 800 million.
“The United States is providing a historic amount of security assistance to Ukraine at a sustained pace,” said the Democratic president, saying that the support of the United States and other allied countries had been “critical” for the Ukrainian victory in “The Battle of Kyiv”.
Joe Biden is due to participate in a virtual meeting of the leaders of the great powers of the G7 on Sunday with also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the occasion of May 8, the day marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.