Updated: Biden announces $225 million aid package for Ukraine
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced an aid package for Ukraine worth $225 million during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Paris on June 7, CNN's correspondent Natasha Bertrand reported.
Zelensky thanked Biden for the newly pledged assistance during the talks, which were also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
"Since (April), including today, I've announced six packages of significant funding. Today I'm also signing an additional package for $225 million to help you reconstruct the electric grid," Biden said.
Biden did not specify how much of the package would be allocated to non-military needs, as the U.S. Defense Department also unveiled a list of military support, including HAWK air defenses, 155 mm howitzers, 81 mm mortars, artillery shells, HIMARS ammunition, Stinger missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank launchers, armored vehicles, patrol boats, and other aid as part of the $225 million package.
The U.S. president apologized to Zelensky for the delays in the $61 billion U.S. foreign aid package, which was stalled in Congress for six months due to opposition from parts of the Republican Party.
"You know, you haven't bowed down, you haven't yielded at all, you continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable, is just remarkable—and we’re not going to walk away from you," Biden told Zelensky.
The two presidents met while visiting France for the 80th D-Day commemorations.
Chris York
