WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and announced a new military aid package ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on Saturday, their offices said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov on Friday, said on social media that the package was worth $125 million.
In the phone call with Zelensky, Biden reiterated Washington’s support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, which the White House described as “unwavering.”
The aid package includes anti-aircraft missiles, drone defense equipment, anti-tank missiles and ammunition, the White House statement said.
The calls came ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day.
“Ukraine urgently needs the arms deliveries from the announced packages, especially additional air defense systems to reliably protect cities, communities and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said in a statement after a phone call from his office.
After seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. The United States has since provided military aid and support to Ukraine, while simultaneously imposing sanctions on Moscow over the invasion.
Washington has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022.
The war escalated on August 6, when Ukraine sent thousands of troops across the border into Russia’s western Kursk region. Kyiv has since reported a number of battlefield victories, but Russian troops continue to advance steadily in eastern Ukraine.
Separately, the United States on Friday imposed sanctions on more than 400 companies and individuals for supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, including Chinese companies that U.S. officials say are helping Moscow evade Western sanctions and build up its military.
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Reporting by Steve Holland in Buellton, Calif., and Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech in Washington; editing by Rod Nickel, Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman
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