Washington, April 21 (UNI) US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine. The new package will include heavy artillery weapons, dozens of Howitzers, 144,000 rounds of ammunition and tactical drones, Biden said from White House while delivering an update on US efforts related to the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited the White House on Thursday. “We’re in a critical window of time now where (Russian forces are) going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said. “The United States and our partners and allies are moving as fast as possible to continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs, its forces need, to defend its nation.” This comes a week after the US announced a previous $800 mn to support Ukraine. Today’s announcement brings the total US military aid to Ukraine since the start of the war to well over $3bn, reports The Guardian.
Biden also announced a new programme which will allow Ukrainians to flee temporarily to the US. “Unite for Ukraine” will allow Ukrainians who have an American sponsor to stay for up to two years, but would not provide a path to citizenship, he said. “It will be fast, it will streamlined and it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to to the people Ukraine,” Biden said. The US President described the battle of Kyiv as a “historic victory” for the Ukrainians.
A “victory for freedom won by the Ukrainian people with unprecedented assistance” by the US and its allies. “Now we have to accelerate that assistance package to help prepare Ukraine for Russia’s offensive that is going to be more limited in terms of geography, but not in terms of brutality,” Biden said. Biden announced a separate trance of $500 million in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government, besides $800m announced earlier.
The $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught.”
He also said that the US is banning Russian-affiliated ships from its ports, in a move to “ratchet up the pressure on Putin”. “No ship that sails under the Russian flag, or that is owned or operated by Russian interests, will be able to dock in a US port or access our shores. None, none,” Biden said.
On Russian control over the besieged port city of Mariupol, Biden said: It’s questionable whether he (Vladimir Putin) does control Mariupol. There is no evidence yet that Mariupol is completely fallen.
The US leader called on Putin to allow humanitarian aid into Ukraine to allow those trapped inside the Azovstal steel plant to be able to get out. Biden said in order to continue supporting Ukraine for the duration of the war, he would ask the US congress for more money next week.
