Biden discloses $800 million in military aid to Ukraine.
Key Takeaways:
- Just hours after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea for more support in a speech to the US, President Joe Biden announced military assistance worth $800 million to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden declared military assistance worth $800 million to Ukraine just hours after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea for more support in a speech to the US, bringing total defense support to Ukraine over a billion dollars in the last week.
Despite praising Zelensky's speech as "convincing and significant" in the face of brutal aggression, Biden did not heed Zelensky's call for a no-fly zone or the deployment of fighter jets, which the US believes would be seen as escalators by Russia and risk widening the conflict and dragging NATO into a direct conflict.
Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine an "outrage to the world," reiterating that the world will stay united and make Putin pay a "very heavy price." What was at stake, he said, were fundamentals that the US and the UN stand for.
"It's about freedom, people's right to choose their destiny." It's about ensuring that no matter how far Putin advances on the battlefield, Ukraine will never be a victory for him."
According to Biden, the American people are responding to Zelensky's call for "more help, more weapons, and more tools" to defend themselves. Biden announced a new security assistance package worth $800 million, which he described as "unprecedented." This would entail direct equipment transfers from the Pentagon to the Ukrainian military.
The US President claimed that his country had already given Ukraine $650 million in aid before the war began and another $350 million after the war began. This had helped Ukraine inflict costs on the Russian military.
To defend Ukrainian airspace, the fresh security package includes:
- 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.
- 2000 Javelin.
- 1000 light anti-armory weapons.
- 6000 AT-4 anti-armor systems.
100 tactical unpiloted aerial systems; 100 grenade launchers; 5000 rifles, 1000 pistols, 400 machine guns, 400 shotguns; over 20 million rounds of small arms, grenade launcher, and mortar ammunition; 25,000 sets of body armor; and 25,000 Helsing.
Biden reiterated that the US would continue to aid Ukraine militarily, provide humanitarian aid, provide direct financial assistance, as well as take measures to weaken Putin's position. However, this could be a long battle. "We're going to stick to our guns.." There should be no doubt. "The USA stands with the forces of liberty."