Ukraine:
US President Joe Biden announced a $425 million arms package to Kiev on Wednesday in a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, ahead of a farewell visit to Berlin to discuss Ukraine, the White House said.
The package includes air defenses and armored vehicles, the text of the call said, adding that President Biden briefed Mr. Zelensky “on his efforts to increase security assistance to Ukraine for the remainder of his term.”
Mr Biden will also hold a virtual meeting of Ukraine’s allies in November, it added, as he tries to bolster international support for Kiev ahead of Donald Trump’s eventual return to the White House in January 2025.
There was no mention, however, of any decision on whether to allow Ukraine to fire Western-made long-range missiles deep into Russia, a move Biden has been reluctant to greenlight so far.
The $425 million US package includes “additional air defense capabilities, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles and critical munitions to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs,” the White House said.
The United States will provide hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and thousands of additional armored vehicles in the coming months, he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky “updated President Biden on his plan to achieve victory over Russia and the two leaders directed their teams to engage in further consultations on next steps”.
Mr Zelensky told X that he had spoken to Biden and thanked him for the package, which included “long-range weapons”.
“I am grateful to President Biden, bipartisan Congress and the American people for the $425 million defense package announced today,” said Ukraine’s president, who is due to meet with EU leaders on Thursday.
The United States has provided about $175 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine during the war, despite frequent opposition from Republicans.
The call came on the eve of Mr Biden’s whirlwind trip to Germany, where Ukraine will be high on the agenda.
Mr Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may be joined for talks by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, media reported.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a syndicated channel.)
