Biden announces another $375 million in aid to Ukraine at meeting with Zelenski
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Sunday another $375 million in military aid to Ukraine during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymir Zelenski, in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G7.
Biden did not specify the amount of the aid, but a senior U.S. official told EFE that the assistance package is valued at US$375 million and includes weapons that the U.S. has already sent to Ukraine such as artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles and high-mobility artillery rockets (Himars).
“We are continuing to help Ukraine defend, respond and recover. We are also helping in their quest for a just peace. There is one aspect, which is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, that is non-negotiable,” the U.S. leader said.
Zelenski then thanked him for the new military assistance and for standing by his side, “shoulder to shoulder,” to confront the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.
The two leaders met at the luxurious Grand Prince Hotel on the island of Ujina, the central venue of the G7 summit that will end this Sunday after three days of meetings.
Since the start of the war, the United States has given Ukraine $36.9 billion in military assistance, according to Pentagon data.
Zelenski Secures Victories at G7 Summit: Sanctions Against Russia and U.S. Commitment to F-16 Support
Zelenski arrived Saturday in the Japanese city of Hiroshima to participate in the G7 summit. His visit has a two-fold objective: to win greater military support from the West for the war and to engage in talks with countries such as Brazil and India, which have refused to align themselves with the West in condemning the invasion and continue to trade with Russia.
Before arriving in Japan, Zelenski already scored several victories by getting the G7 to announce a round of sanctions against Russia and getting Biden to change his mind on the U.S.-made F-16 fighters that Kiev had been demanding for months.
Specifically, Biden told his G7 partners that the U.S. will help train Ukrainian pilots to operate the F-16s and opened the door to delivering those planes to Ukraine in the future.
Today’s was the fourth bilateral meeting between the two leaders since Biden arrived at the White House in January 2021.
The first two were at the White House: one in September 2021 before the war began and the second was in December 2022, in what marked Zelensky’s first foreign visit since the Russian invasion began in February last year.
The third meeting was in Kiev, where Biden made a surprise visit ahead of a visit to Poland and on the anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion.
At today’s meeting, Biden recalled the moment when anti-aircraft sirens began to be heard in Kiev when he was visiting and how he looked at Zelenski, who did not seem concerned.
“If he wasn’t worried about the sirens, then neither am I,” joked Biden, who sparked laughter from those in the room.