The White House said Russia “will not win” after announcing a $125 million aid package to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.
The United States announced new military aid to Ukraine following a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden.
The Pentagon said Friday that the latest aid package would be worth $125 million, and Biden said it would include air defense weapons, ammunition and anti-tank missiles.
“Russia will not win this conflict. The independent people of Ukraine will win. And the United States, our allies, and our partners will be with them every step of the way,” Biden said in a statement.
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory in February 2022, the United States has provided hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.
In the years since, Ukrainian forces have struggled to repel Russian forces while suffering from shortages of essential supplies, and the conflict shows no sign of ending.
I talked to ~ @POTUS I thank Joe Biden for his warm congratulations on Ukrainian Flag Day and the upcoming Independence Day.
The Ukrainian people are grateful for the unwavering efforts of President Biden, his administration, Congress, and the American people.
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) August 23, 2024
“Ukraine urgently needs the weapons supplies from the announced package, especially additional air defense systems for the reliable protection of cities, communities and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said in a statement posted on social media.
He thanked Biden for his “steadfast support from day one of this full-scale war.”
The latest support comes as fighting continues inside Russia, more than two weeks after Ukrainian forces launched a daring cross-border raid in Russia’s Kursk region.
The presence of Ukrainian troops on Russian soil has been an embarrassing setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has blamed countries such as the United States for enabling Ukraine’s attacks by providing long-range weapons.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshuk shared footage on Thursday showing Ukraine using U.S.-supplied GBU-39 bombs to strike a Russian squadron base in Kursk.
Some analysts have expressed concern that an attack on Russian territory in Ukraine could escalate the conflict, but the United States has insisted that it will not cooperate with Ukraine on such operations, instead providing weapons to combat Russian aggression.
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury, State, and Commerce departments announced additional economic sanctions targeting Russia, aimed at limiting Russia’s ability to circumvent previous restrictions.
Critics argue that U.S. sanctions have made life harder for Russian citizens by failing to stop the Russian government from waging war in Ukraine.
