WEB DESK
The United States is likely to announce up to $750 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeals for more help to beat back Russian forces.
A senior congressional aide told Reuters that while the final package is still under discussion, it is likely to include heavy ground artillery systems, including howitzers.
A senior U.S. defense official said Ukrainian forces have received “a significant amount” of the 100 so-called switchblade drones, equipped with tank-busting warheads, promised as part of an earlier $300 million security assistance package.
The remaining drones are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the next week or so, as are additional Javelin anti-tank missiles.
“Calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted late Tuesday. “We are grateful for U.S. assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities.”
U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday “affirmed their commitment to continue providing security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the face of ongoing atrocities by Russia,” the White House said in a statement.
Biden also escalated his rhetoric against Russia, accusing President Vladimir Putin of engineering a “genocide” in Ukraine.
“Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away,” Biden said during a visit to the U.S. state of Iowa to promote a program to help lower gasoline prices.
The U.S. president later defended his decision to label Russia’s actions as a genocide while talking to reporters before boarding Air Force One.
“I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being able to be Ukrainian, and the evidence is mounting,” Biden said.
“We’ll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me,” he added.