Joe Biden sends $800 million aid to Ukraine

Washington D.C., Mar 17: Hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea for greater support in an address to the United States, President Joe Biden announced military assistance worth $800 million to Ukraine, taking defence support to Ukraine in the past week alone to over a billion dollars.

 

 

 

But while praising Zelensky’s speech as “convincing and significant”, in the face of brutal aggression, Biden did not heed Zelensky’s appeal to impose a no-fly zone or provide fighter jets — steps that the US considers would be deemed escalatory by Russia and have the potential to widen the conflict and drag NATO into a direct conflict.

 

 

 

Terming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine as an “outrage to the world”, and reiterating that the world will remain united and make Putin pay a “very heavy price”, Biden said that what was at stake were principles that the US and the United Nations stand for. “It is about freedom, the right of people to determine their own future. It is about making sure that Ukraine will never, never, be a victory for Putin, no matter what advances he makes on the battlefield.”

 

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Biden said that American people were responding to Zelensky’s appeal for “more help, more weapons, and more tools” to defend itself. Biden announced a new package of additional $800 million in “unprecedented” security assistance. This would take the form of direct transfers of equipment from the Pentagon to the Ukrainian military.

The US President said his country has already provided $650 million worth of assistance to Ukraine before the war began, and an additional $350 million worth of assistance after the war began, and that these had helped Ukraine inflict costs on the Russian military.

 

 

 

According to a White House fact sheet, the new security package includes 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems to defend the Ukrainian air space; 2000 Javelin, 1000 light anti-armory weapons, and 6000 AT-4 anti-armour systems; 100 tactical unmanned aerial systems; 100 grenade launchers, 5000 rifles, 1000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns; over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds; 25,000 sets of body armour; and 25,000 helmets. Warning that this could be a long battle, Biden reiterated that the US will continue to aid Ukraine militarily, offer humanitarian assistance, provide direct financial assistance, and take measures to weaken Putin’s position. “We are going to stay the course..Let there be no doubt. America stands with the forces of freedom.”