Biden administration announces additional $275 million military aid to Ukraine, Zelenskyy reacts

In a show of solidarity, the Biden administration announced an additional $275 million in military aid to the war-stricken Ukraine. The announcement came as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced the package on Friday and revealed that the proposal was previewed on Thursday by two US officials. He maintained that the aid is part of our efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv.”

“Assistance from previous packages has already made it to the front lines, and we will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said in a statement.

Zelenskyy thanks US

After the announcement by the US State Department, Ukrainian President Volodymyr took to X, formally known as Twitter to thank the Biden administration.

“I am grateful to @POTUS Joe Biden, U.S. Congress and its both parties, as well as the American people for the new military aid package announced today,” he wrote on X.

“It includes much-needed long-range missiles, precision artillery munitions, anti-tank capabilities, and other weapons.”

I am grateful to @POTUS Joe Biden, U.S. Congress and its both parties, as well as the American people for the new military aid package announced today.

It includes much-needed long-range missiles, precision artillery munitions, anti-tank capabilities, and other weapons.

This…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 24, 2024

“This package is critical right now, as the enemy intensifies attacks along the frontline. Today in Kharkiv, I witnessed firsthand the importance of strengthening our warriors in order to protect our people, our cities, and our communities,” he added.

What is included in the package? 

According to the statement, the latest package would include high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, munitions as well 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds.

Additional items that will be included in the aid package are Javelin and AT-4 antitank systems; antitank mines, tactical vehicles, small arms and ammunition for those weapons.

“The United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to stand with Ukraine in its defence of its freedom,” the Secretary of State mentioned in the statement.

With this, the US has now provided a whopping $51 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the Russia-Ukraine war commenced in February 2022.

Ukraine maintains control in Kharkiv

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the forces of the Eastern European nation have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops staged an incursion this month.

“Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. The comments from the Ukrainian leader came after he conducted a meeting of military and regional officials in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Putin not only wants to disrupt the Peace Summit and makes every effort to do so, but he is also afraid of what the Summit can bring. The world is capable of forcing Russia to make peace and follow international security norms.

Russia has no counterarguments to the global… pic.twitter.com/xnUDT4QT5z

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 24, 2024

However, the remarks appeared to be at variance with comments by Russian officials. Viktor Vodolatskiy, a member of Russia’s State Duma lower house of parliament maintained that the Russian forces controlled more than half the territory of the region, TASS reported.

Vodolatskiy was quoted as saying that once Vovchansk was secured, Russian forces would target three cities in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region – Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian military’s General Staff, in its evening report, stated that the situation in Vovchansk was “tense but controlled by the defence forces”.

“The Russian army today launched air terror against this town – eight guided bombs hit the town,” he said.

With inputs from agencies.