Biden talks with Zelensky, announces new military aid for Kyiv

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U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Washington will provide new military aid for Kyiv. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and announced a new round of military aid for Kyiv, the White House said.

The call between the two leaders came ahead of Ukraineโ€™s independence day, and on the same day that Washington announced sweeping sanctions against hundreds of individuals and companies tied to Russiaโ€™s invasion of the country.

โ€œI am proud we will announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine today,โ€ Mr. Biden said in a statement, without specifying the dollar value of the assistance.

โ€œThe package includes air defense missiles to protect Ukraineโ€™s critical infrastructure; counter-drone equipment and anti-armor missiles to defend against Russiaโ€™s evolving tactics on the battlefield; and ammunition for frontline soldiers and the mobile rocket systems that protect them,โ€ he said.

โ€œRussia will not prevail in this conflict. The independent people of Ukraine will prevail — and the United States, our allies, and our partners, will continue to stand with them every step of the way,โ€ Mr. Biden added.

The United States has been a key military backer of Ukraine, committing more than $55 billion in weapons, ammunition and other security aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The latest aid announcement comes as Ukrainian troops press an attack into Russiaโ€™s western Kursk region — an offensive that is the most serious attack by a foreign army on Russian territory since World War II.

New sanctions on Russia

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Treasury, State and Commerce departments announced new sanctions that build on a raft of existing measures enacted against Russia over the invasion.

The sanctions target nearly 400 individuals and entities both inside and outside of Russia โ€œwhose products and services enable Russia to sustain its war effort and evade sanctions,โ€ the U.S. Treasury Department announced in a statement.

Among those sanctioned were 60 Russia-based defense and technology firms โ€œcritical for the sustainment and development of Russiaโ€™s defense industry,โ€ it added.

The State Department said in a separate statement that it was responsible for 190 of the sanctions, and that Treasury was responsible for close to 200 others.

It added that its designations โ€œaim to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple third countries,โ€ including China, along with businesses supporting the development of Russian energy projects.

Alongside the sanctions unveiled Friday, the Commerce Department announced it was taking โ€œaggressive actionโ€ to further restrict the supply of items made in the United States, or labeled as such, to both Russia and Belarus, due to โ€œthe Kremlinโ€™s illegal war on Ukraine.โ€

โ€œTodayโ€™s actions will further constrain Russiaโ€™s ability to arm its military by targeting illicit procurement networks designed to circumvent global export controls,โ€ the department said in a statement.



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