Biden marks Ukraine Independence Day with US$3b package

US President Joe Biden marked Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday (Aug 24) with a new security assistance package of about US$3 billion in military aid for Kyiv in its war with Russia.

It is the single largest tranche of support for Kyiv since Russia’s invasion 6 months ago, and it comes as US officials warn that Russia appears to be planning to launch fresh attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in coming days.

“The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue the fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden said in a statement announcing the package.

In total, the United States has committed approximately US$10.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than US$12.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. REUTERS