Biden announces $425M in new Ukraine military aid during call with Zelenskyy

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a new $425 million tranche of military assistance for Ukraine during a telephone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During the call, Biden discussed US "support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. President Biden updated President Zelenskyy on his efforts to surge security assistance to Ukraine over the remainder of his term in office," said a White House statement.

It said the new military package would include more air defense systems, air-to-ground munitions, and armored vehicles as well as other unspecified "critical munitions to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs."

The White House did not provide specifics on individual systems that would be included, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken listed several systems that will be provided.

They include more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) ammunition, RIM-7 missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) ammunition, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, cluster munitions, Humvees, Javelin and other anti-tank weapons, TOW missiles, and tactical light vehicles.

"In the coming months, the United States will provide Ukraine with a range of additional capabilities, including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles, all of which will help to equip Ukraine’s armed forces," the White House said.

It noted that during the call, Zelenskyy "updated President Biden on his plan to achieve victory over Russia, and the two leaders tasked their teams to engage in further consultations on next steps."

"The leaders committed to intensify security assistance planning alongside international partners in order to ensure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to prevail. As part of this effort, in November 2024, President Biden will host a virtual leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group," the White House said.

The Russia-Ukraine war, now over 2 1/2 years old, began on Feb. 24, 2022.