U.S. News

Biden announces additional $375 million support package for Ukraine

By Joe Fisher   |   May 21, 2023 at 11:04 AM
President Joe Biden said the United States will provide additional defensive support for Ukraine, pledging $375 million in ammunition and equipment during a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Ukrainian President Press Office/ UPI Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference on Sunday, the final day of a three-day G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Photo courtesy of the G7 Hiroshima Summit / UPI Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not seen) on Sunday, the final day of a three-day G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Photo courtesy of the G7 Hiroshima Summit / UPI The additional U.S. support package to Ukraine's army announced by Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, will include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI G7 leaders, including President Joe Biden, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, released a joint statement vowing to assist Ukraine with reconstruction efforts, including rebuilding its energy infrastructure. Photo courtesy of South Korea's President Press Office/ UPI

May 21 (UPI) -- The United States will provide additional defensive support for Ukraine, pledging $375 million in ammunition and equipment.

President Joe Biden announced the additional support at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said in a news release.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the package will include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles.

"The United States continues to do all we can to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself," Biden said in remarks published by the White House.

Biden and Zelensky also discussed training Ukrainian pilots on U.S. aircraft including F-16s, a readout from the White House said. The Biden administration has not committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine yet, despite Zelensky's pleas.

Fellow G7 leaders joined Biden in vowing to assist Ukraine with reconstruction efforts, including rebuilding its energy infrastructure which was targeted by Russian attacks.

In a joint statement, the group said it will continue to sanction Russia as long as its invasion of Ukraine lasts. This includes efforts to box Russia out of the global economy.

"We will further restrict Russia's access to our economies," the statement said.

"Building on previous measures taken to prevent Russia from accessing inputs in support of sectors key to its military-industrial base, we will broaden our actions to ensure that exports of all items critical to Russia's aggression including those used by Russia on the battlefield are restricted across all our jurisdictions."

Such restrictions include exports of industrial machinery, tools, and other technology that Russia uses "to rebuild its war machine," the G7 added.

The G7 intends to hold Russia responsible for damage caused in Ukraine through a jointly established Registry of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine. The registry was created by the Council of Europe at the recommendation of the U.N. General Assembly.

"As long as invaders remain on our land, no one will sit down at the negotiating table with [Russia]," Zelensky tweeted. "The colonizer must get out. And the world has enough power to force [Russia] to restore peace step by step."