Biden announces $225 million weapons package for Ukraine, including Patriot system
President Joe Biden has announced a new $225 million aid package for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile system to bolster its air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced a new $225 million aid package for Ukraine on Thursday, including a Patriot missile system to bolster its air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes.
Biden made the announcement during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called the announcement “strong news” but pressed that for the immediate future, what the Ukrainians also need is U.S. permission to fire the long-range missiles it has provided at targets deeper inside Russia.
The Patriot air defense system, the second the U.S. has provided to Ukraine, is one of several Biden announced this week at the NATO summit and is part of a swell of pledges to get weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, including one this week that hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
The $225 million package also includes Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and more 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, among other munitions.
