Biden speaks with Zelenskiy, announces new military aid for Ukraine

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and announced a new military aid package ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on Saturday, their offices said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov on Friday, said on social media the package was worth $125 million.

In the call with Zelenskiy, Biden reaffirmed Washington's support, which the White House called "unwavering", for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The aid package includes air-defense missiles, counter-drone equipment, anti-armor missiles and ammunition, the White House said in its statement.

The calls came ahead of Ukraine's independence day.

"Ukraine critically needs the supply of weapons from the announced packages, particularly additional air defence systems for the reliable protection of cities, communities, and critical infrastructure," Zelenskiy said in a statement after call released by his office.

After seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. The United States has since provided military assistance and aid to Ukraine while also imposing sanctions on Moscow over the invasion.

Washington has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion worth of military aid since 2022.

The war escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers over the border into Russia's western Kursk region. Kyiv has since announced a string of battlefield successes, but Russian forces continue to steadily inch forward in eastern Ukraine.

Separately on Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on more than 400 entities and individuals for supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine, including Chinese companies that U.S. officials believe are helping Moscow skirt Western sanctions and build up its military.

(Reporting by Steve Holland in Buellton, California, and Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Rod Nickel, Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)