US President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington, USA, on September 26, 2024.
Elisabeth Franz | Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced more than $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine to help Kiev fight off Russian invaders, using President Zelensky's visit to make major commitments.
The assistance includes the first batch of precision-guided glide bombs called Joint Standoff Weapons, which have a range of up to 81 miles (130 kilometers). The medium-range missiles provide a major upgrade for Ukraine's weapons against Russian forces, allowing it to strike from a safer distance.
The bomb, capable of striking targets with high accuracy, will be dropped from a fighter jet. A U.S. official said Biden would not announce that Washington would allow Ukraine to use U.S. missiles to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
Biden said in the statement that supporting Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, has been a top priority for the United States.
“That's why today I'm announcing an increase in security assistance to Ukraine and a series of additional actions to help Ukraine win this war,” said Biden, who left office in January.
The bulk of the new aid, $5.5 billion, will be distributed before the end of the U.S. fiscal year on Monday, when funding authorizations expire. Another $2.4 billion is under the Ukraine Security Assistance Program, which allows the government to purchase weapons for Ukraine from companies rather than withdraw weapons from U.S. stocks.
Biden said this would provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems, unmanned aerial systems and air-to-surface munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine's defense industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment needs.
The president said that under his plan, the Defense Department would refurbish and provide Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense batteries and more Patriot missiles.
Biden ordered the Pentagon to expand training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots, including supporting the training of 18 more pilots next year.
Zelensky thanked Biden and the U.S. Congress for the new military aid package and said Ukraine would use it “in the most effective and transparent way.”
“I thank the United States for providing the most important items to protect our people,” Zelensky said on X, citing Patriot batteries, drones and long-range missiles.
Republican criticism of Zelensky
To combat Russia's sanctions evasion and money laundering, the United States will coordinate with international partners to take action to disrupt what Biden calls “the global cryptocurrency network.”
Biden said he will hold a leadership-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany next month to coordinate the efforts of more than 50 countries to support Ukraine.
Before meeting Biden, Zelensky held talks with Democratic and Republican lawmakers at the Capitol. He spoke with about two dozen bipartisan senators for more than an hour before holding a separate bipartisan meeting on the House floor with about a dozen lawmakers.
“It's bipartisan and it's positive,” Republican Rep. Joe Wilson, leader of the House Ukraine Caucus, told reporters.
Congress has approved nearly $175 billion in aid and military assistance to Ukraine and its allies in the 2-1/2 years since Russia began its full-scale invasion, and many lawmakers said they expected Washington would need to approve more money to help Kyiv Down a few months.
The visit was much more low-key than previous trips to Congress. The Senate and House of Representatives left Washington on Wednesday night until the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Sen. Dick Durbin said Zelensky has laid out his plan for victory. “It's very basic, and that's making sure Ukrainians have the momentum to move forward, and that requires not just people but equipment and supplies to do that job,” Durbin told reporters.
Ukraine's defense enjoys largely bipartisan support in the United States, but his administration faces growing criticism from some Republican leaders, including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Trump criticized Ukraine's president as he campaigned for the Nov. 5 election and, at least for now, has rejected Zelensky's request for a meeting.
The former president criticized Zelensky on Wednesday, telling a campaign rally in North Carolina that “we continue to give billions of dollars to Zelensky who refuses to make a deal.”
Trump also accused Biden and his Democratic presidential rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, of allowing the Russian intrusion.
Many congressional Republicans were outraged by Zelensky's visit on Sunday to a military factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Biden grew up. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Zelensky's trip.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who did not meet with Zelensky on Thursday, asked him to fire the ambassador to Washington who was planning a trip to Scranton, although he told reporters the request was not a threat to oppose military aid.