New Delhi: During a phone conversation on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden informed his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky about another package of US military aid to Ukraine, worth $625 million, the White House press service said.
“President Biden pledged to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including the provision today of a new $625 million security assistance package,” the White House said in a statement, adding that the delivery would include additional weapons and equipment, including HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems, artillery systems and ammunition, and armored vehicles.
Vice President Kamala Harris also took part in the conversation, the statement says.
Later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the recent aid delivery would bring the overall cost of US military aid to Ukraine to more than $17.5 billion.
“Recent developments only strengthen our resolve,” Blinken said in a statement on Tuesday. “We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine.”
“The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine’s hand at the negotiating table when the time is right,” he added.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that, in response to a request from the Donbas republics, he decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. He underscored that Moscow does not plan to occupy Ukrainian territories, instead planning to demilitarize and denazify the country. In response, the West started introducing sweeping sanctions against Russia and shipping weapons and military vehicles to Kyiv already worth tens of billions of dollars at this point.
On September 23 to 27 September, referendums on joining Russia were held in the DPR and LPR, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. A vast majority of residents were in favor of such a move. On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions signed agreements on the accession of these regions to Russia.
(Vinayak)