US President Joe Biden announced tonight (Wednesday) that the US administration will provide additional $ 800 million in security assistance to Ukraine – in order to strengthen its defenses against the Russian offensive in the east of the country.
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A statement from him, released after talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky, said the aid would include artillery systems, shells, anti-tank vehicles and helicopters.
“This additional assistance package will include many of the most effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the broader offensive we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement, adding that the U.S. will continue to work with its allies to share weapons and resources as the conflict continues. .
“The steady supply of weapons that the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in the fight against the Russian invasion,” Biden said. “It helped ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin failed in his first war goals of conquering and controlling Ukraine. We can not rest now.”
Meanwhile, after calling him a “war criminal”, calling him a “butcher” and saying he “can not stay in power” – US President Joe Biden has further sharpened his tone against Putin, saying he is “a dictator who commits genocide”. This is the first time that Biden has used the term “genocide” to describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a speech in Iowa last night (Tuesday), the US president referred to the steps his administration is taking to curb rising fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine, saying: Genocide on the other side of the world. ”
Biden later stood behind his accusation: “I said it was genocide because it was becoming increasingly clear that Putin was trying to erase the idea of ’being Ukrainian’.” He noted that “the evidence is accumulating. Lawyers can decide if it meets the threshold of genocide, but it certainly seems that way to me.” Earlier in the day, Biden said he did not believe Russia’s actions were genocide, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky urges world leaders to say – but described them as “war crimes.”