US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new pledge of $800 million in military aid for Ukraine as Russia shows no signs of ending its invasion of the country.
Asked about how long the US would be able to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons, Biden said Washington had “the capacity to do this for a long time.”
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But he warned that the aid for Ukraine, which was approved in a bipartisan manner in Congress, was “almost exhausted.” Biden thanked Congress and voiced his hope that more assistance would be approved.
The Pentagon released a statement saying the latest drawdown of military aid for Ukraine would include:
- 72 155mm Howitzers and 144,000 artillery rounds
- 72 Tactical Vehicles to tow 155mm Howitzers
- Over 121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
- Field equipment and spare parts
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said this brought the total value of US military aid for Ukraine to more than $4 billion since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Kirby noted that around $3.4 billion of support had been pledged since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion on February 24.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would continue to provide Ukraine the arms its forces were effectively using on the ground to defend themselves.
“For almost eight weeks, Russia has waged its savage assault against Ukraine, its sovereignty, its independence, its freedom, and its people,” Blinken said. “From Bucha to Kramatorsk, from Kharkiv to Mariupol, we have seen Russia’s brutalities and its atrocities laid bare for the world to see. And yet Ukrainian Winter has turned to Ukrainian Spring. The people of Ukraine will prevail.”
Read more: Russia increased footprint in east Ukraine over last week: Senior US official
