Washington – President Joe Biden has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States will swiftly dispatch badly needed air defense weaponry to Ukraine upon the Senate’s approval of a comprehensive national security aid package. Zelenskyy disclosed in an online post that Biden also affirmed the inclusion of long-range and artillery capabilities in the forthcoming aid package.
The aid package, which includes funding for other allies as well, awaits Senate approval following its approval by the House over the weekend. The approval process has been delayed for months due to the opposition of some Republican lawmakers to further funding for Ukraine. They even threatened to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his position if he permitted a vote on the matter.
The Senate is anticipated to vote on the package this week, and Biden has expressed his commitment to promptly signing it into law. Zelenskyy emphasized that his discussion with Biden also covered “Russia’s air terror utilizing thousands of missiles, drones, and bombs,” including a strike on the Kharkiv TV tower just moments before their conversation.
“Russia is clearly signaling its objective to render the city uninhabitable,” Zelenskyy stated.
Russia has exploited the shortage of air defenses in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, to relentlessly target the region’s energy infrastructure, affecting its 1.3 million inhabitants. Some analysts and officials have raised concerns that this could be part of a coordinated Russian strategy to pave the way for a summer offensive to capture the city.
The White House has confirmed Biden’s assurance to Zelenskyy that his administration will expeditiously provide “substantial new security assistance packages” to address Ukraine’s immediate battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental aid package and he signs it into law.
“President Biden also emphasized that the U.S. economic assistance will help maintain financial stability, restore critical infrastructure in the wake of Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine progresses on the path towards Euro-Atlantic integration,” according to the White House.
In the meantime, a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Congress members traveled to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy. The delegation consisted of Representatives Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), and Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.). Kean emphasized to reporters that “we understand the pressing needs of Ukraine,” and U.S. assistance is “essential to reversing the tide of Russia’s attacks.”
Kean urged Biden to utilize the authority granted by the bill to swiftly deliver the weapons requested by Ukraine, including the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
Zelenskyy discussed with the U.S. lawmakers Ukraine’s urgent need for artillery shells, long-range missiles, electronic warfare equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles, combat aviation, and assistance in developing Ukraine’s defense industry. They also explored Ukraine’s aspiration to eventually join NATO, U.S. participation in an international conference in Switzerland in June focused on charting a path towards peace in Ukraine, and other pertinent issues.
