WASHINGTON, April 21 – President Joe Biden will provide an update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday as he works to finalize a new weapons package for his military.
Biden will address Americans from the Roosevelt Room of the White House at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT), and a source familiar with the scheduling said he was “expected to provide an update on our efforts in support of Ukraine and the assistance we are providing.” . “.
The new weapons package will likely be about the same size as an $800 million package announced last week, but details are still being worked out, another US official told Reuters earlier.
On Wednesday, Biden convened US military leaders for an annual meeting at the White House, which took on special significance as the war enters a risky new phase. Continue reading
Earlier in the meeting, Biden touted the toughness of Ukraine’s military and said the NATO entity shocked Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has said it has entered a new phase of its operation and is systematically trying to “liberate” the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Western allies believe Russia’s campaign could last many months, reach a stalemate and test the skills of Ukrainian fighters on the battlefield.
Russia said it launched a so-called “military special operation” on February 24 to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its western allies dismiss this as a false pretext.
US forces do not fight in Ukraine but are indirectly involved, arming, training and funding their forces.
US aid announced last week included artillery systems, artillery shells, armored personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defense boats, adding new types of heavy equipment to the scope of material being sent to Kyiv.
If this week’s aid package is as large as expected, it would bring total US military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion to more than $3 billion.
Following Biden’s announcement, he will fly to the Pacific Northwest on a two-day trip to advance his domestic political agenda.