US announces additional $2bn aid package to Ukraine
- 15 May, 11:24
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced additional $2bn in military aid to Ukraine “in a critical time” amid Russian offensive in the north of the country. Blinken made the announcement at a joint press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The top US diplomat stressed that the support would also be aimed at investing in Ukraine’s industrial base. Blinken said that US-Ukraine security agreement could be signed within weeks, adding that “heavy lifting” on the deal had already been done. In a press conference in Kyiv, Blinken also said that US President Joe Biden could meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the US diplomat voiced support for a planned Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland set for next month, saying Washington would be “robustly represented” there.
Blinken made the remarks during his first surprise visit to Ukraine after the US Congress passed a delayed military aid package worth $61. The delay caused by some members of the Republican party resulted in Russia’s advances in the frontline in past weeks. During the meeting with President Zelenskiy on Tuesday, Antony Blinken expressed US unwavering support to Ukraine, pledging that the US will stand by Ukraine until its security sovereignty is guaranteed. Zelenskiy asked for more air defence, in particular Patriot systems against Russian attacks on Kharkiv and other regions of the country. Russia launched large-scale offensive on Karhkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city on Friday, opening a new front in the war.
