Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden speak on the sidelines of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington, USA July 11, 2024.
Yves Hermann Reuters
US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday and announced a new military aid package ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on Saturday, his office said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov on Friday, said on social media the package was worth $125 million.
In the phone call with Zelenskyy, Biden reiterated Washington’s support, which the White House called “unwavering,” for Ukraine during its war with Russia.
The aid package includes air defense missiles, counter-drone equipment, anti-armor missiles and ammunition, the White House said in a statement.
The call came before Ukraine’s independence day.
“Ukraine critically needs the supply of weapons from the announced package, especially additional air defense systems for the protection of cities, communities, and reliable critical infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a statement after the call released by his office.
After seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. The United States began providing aid and military aid to Ukraine while also imposing sanctions on Moscow over the invasion.
Washington has provided more than $50 billion in military aid to Ukraine since 2022.
The war escalated on August 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers across the border into Russia’s western Kursk region. Kyiv has since declared success on the battlefield, but Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine.
Separately on Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on more than 400 entities and individuals for supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, including a Chinese company that US officials believe is helping Moscow circumvent Western sanctions and build up its military.
