The United States is sending more air defense missiles to Kyiv as part of another batch of military aid confirmed on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day, U.S. President Joe Biden said late Friday.
After speaking with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden said almost 400 individuals and organizations would also be sanctioned as part of efforts to punish those responsible for Russia’s invasion.
The latest military aid package for Kyiv includes new air defense missiles along with counter-drone equipment, anti-armor missiles, mobile rocket systems and ammunition.
“Make no mistake: Russia will not prevail in this conflict,” Biden said. “The independent people of Ukraine will prevail — and the United States, our allies, and our partners, will continue to stand with them every step of the way.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the package was worth $125 million after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov late Friday.
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has warned that there is an increased risk of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine over the weekend of the country’s Independence Day.
Zelenskyy welcomed the pledge and fresh sanctions, but said on X late Friday that the country “urgently” needs the deliveries to be made, and called for new air defense systems, too.
“I welcomed the new U.S. military aid package and emphasized that Ukraine urgently requires the delivery of weapons from the announced packages, particularly additional air defense systems, to reliably protect our cities, communities, and critical infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said.
While Western allies — especially the U.S. and Germany — have committed modern air defense systems capable of taking down aircraft and ballistic missiles, Ukraine says it needs many more platforms to defend itself.
