US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the US would provide an additional $800 million worth of weapons and military aid to Ukraine, hailing the courage of Ukrainians since the Russian invasion in February.
Speaking after a NATO summit where the alliance accepted entries from Finland and Sweden, Biden said the United States and its allies have united to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t know how it will end, but it won’t end with Russia defeating Ukraine,” Biden said at a news conference. “Ukraine has already dealt a heavy blow to Russia.”
“We will support Ukraine as much as necessary,” said Biden, who appeared to be preparing an ally for a protracted conflict in Ukraine despite talking about a possible victory in March. He declined to give further details.
More weapons announcements add to the more than $6.1 billion the United States has already offered since Russian forces entered Ukraine on February 24 and sparked a full-scale war in Europe.
Plans for further assistance came after the Ukrainians used howitzers to retake Cobra Island, as NATO repositioned itself back in the Cold War mold with a massive increase in preparedness forces.
Biden had promised to send more US troops, warplanes and warships to Europe, as he decided to strengthen NATO structures and put more than 300,000 troops on high alert by the middle of next year.
“The United States is doing what I said we would do if Russia invaded, increasing our strong stance in Europe,” Biden said. “The United States is calling on the world to stand by Ukraine,” he said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would provide an additional 1 billion pounds ($1.22 billion) of military aid to Ukraine, while French President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon deliver more than six Caesar weapons.
The British contribution includes air defense systems and new electronic warfare equipment, bringing in more than £2.3bn in support since the invasion of Moscow – second only to US aid, the British government says.
Johnson said Putin did not appear ready to withdraw or negotiate the terms of a peace deal.
“There seems to be nothing to talk about. Not only do the Ukrainian people find it very difficult to make a deal, Putin does not even propose a deal,” Johnson said at a press conference.
source: Noticias
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