Biden pledges additional aid to Ukraine as Russia declares ‘success’ in Mariupol

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said on Thursday the United States will provide another $1.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but Congress will soon need more funding to keep the flow of arms flowing.

Biden said the latest aid would include $800 million in heavy artillery weapons, dozens of artillery pieces and 144,000 rounds of ammunition, along with more tactical drones. The United States also plans to provide $500 million in humanitarian and economic assistance.

Mr. Biden said the US would ban Russian-linked ships from US ports and was starting a program to help Ukrainian refugees enter the US.

Ukrainian civilians have faced attacks by the Russian military when it unleash a long-awaited attack in the eastern region of the country with Russia declaring “success” on Thursday in the besieged city of Mariupol. Biden said there is still no evidence that Mariupol has “completely fallen”.

“We don’t know how long this fight will last, but as we approach the two-month mark, here’s what we know, Putin has fallen short of his grand ambitions on the battlefield,” Biden said in a statement. speech from the White House. before going to Portland, Oregon and Seattle to promote the government’s infrastructure plans and attend fundraisers for the Democratic Party.

With the additional aid announced on Thursday, the United States has provided more than $3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. But Biden said he was close to running out of withdrawal rights that Congress gave him in last month’s spending bill. Next week, he said he would make an additional request to Congress to “keep weapons and ammunition in circulation without interruption.”

“We will not lessen our resolve. We will continue to stand with the brave and proud Ukrainian people. We will never fail in our determination to defend freedom and oppose the regime.” tyranny. As simple as that,” Biden said.

Biden said the Defense Department is still determining how much more funding he will ask Congress for.

Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at the White House before he spoke.

Last week, the US administration announced that it would send a package worth $800 million to Ukraine, including 40,000 rounds of artillery shells and 18 155 mm cannons, but a US official said the rounds would only drag longer than a week.

“We can’t always advertise everything that we, our partners are doing to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom,” Biden said. “But to modernize Teddy Roosevelt’s famous advice, he’ll sometimes speak softly and carry a large Javelin because we’re sending a lot of that, too.”

The administration also announced new sanctions on Wednesday against Russian and Belarusian human rights violators as well as companies and individuals seeking to evade sanctions.

The latest actions come as Russia launches a new offensive in eastern Ukraine, in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It also test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile this week, although Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russia had notified the US in advance of its treaty obligations, adding that Tests are routine and are not considered a threat to the United States or its allies.

“We are now in a critical period where they will set the stage for the next phase of this fight,” Biden said.

Russian President Putin declared “success” in Mariupol on Thursday and ordered his forces not to storm the Azovstal steel plant, where The last pocket of the Ukrainian resistance in the city is holding out.

Earlier this week, Biden told reporters he did not know if he would visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. although White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said he will not be coming to this country.

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