US to Dispatch $225 Million Aid Package to Ukraine, Biden Announces
The United States will soon send a $225 million arms and aid package to Ukraine as Kyiv continues to defend against renewed Russian attacks, President Joe Biden announced on Friday.
Biden revealed the new tranche of defense assistance during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris. This announcement came a day after Zelensky joined Biden and other world leaders at ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
During the D-Day commemoration at the American cemetery in Normandy, Biden compared Ukraine’s fight against Russia to the Allies’ struggle against Hitler and Nazism. He emphasized the importance of resisting isolationist sentiment, implicitly contrasting his stance with that of former President Donald Trump, his likely opponent in the 2024 election.
Sitting beside Zelensky on Friday, Biden reiterated the US commitment to Ukraine. He praised Ukraine’s resilience, particularly in defending the city of Kharkiv. “The way you’ve stood in holding onto Kharkiv, you’ve proven once again that the people of Ukraine cannot and will never be overtaken... you are the bulwark against the aggression that’s taking place. We have an obligation to be there,” Biden said.
“You haven’t bowed down. You haven’t yielded at all. You continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable, just remarkable. We’re not going to walk away from you,” he added.
Biden also addressed the months-long delay in approving new aid to Ukraine, attributing it to opposition from Republicans in Congress, influenced by former President Trump. “We had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass that had the money in it. Some of our very conservative members were holding it up. But we got it done finally,” Biden said.
The president has consistently linked Ukraine’s defense to a broader struggle between democracy and autocracy, a theme he has also used to frame his re-election campaign against Trump. The presumptive Republican nominee has threatened to cut off all aid to Ukraine if he wins the November presidential election.
Zelensky expressed gratitude for the continued US support, emphasizing the importance of American solidarity with Ukraine, akin to the unity of Western allies during World War II. “We are with you, with our strategic partner,” Zelensky said.