US announces $425 million in security aid for Ukraine, Zelensky says package includes long-range weapons
U.S. President Joe Biden announced $425 million in new security assistance for Ukraine during a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 16.
Biden and Zelensky spoke on the phone after the U.S. president canceled foreign trips to handle the consequences of repeated hurricanes at home.
The new package will consist of "additional air defense capability, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles, and critical munitions to meet Ukraine's urgent needs," the White House said in a statement.
In the upcoming months, the U.S. will also provide Ukraine with "a range of additional capabilities, including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles," the White House said.
In a post on X, Zelensky thanked the U.S. for the new package and said that it also includes "long-range weapons." He did not specify which kind of weapons and did not mention the ongoing debate over allowing Western weapons to be used for long-range strikes into Russia.
Biden and Zelensky also discussed the victory plan, which was presented to individual leaders, including Biden, behind closed doors in September but made public earlier on Oct. 16.
Martin Fornusek
