Biden announces new $225 million weapons package for Ukraine

“Biden announced a new $225M aid package to Ukraine, which Zelensky thanked him for,” CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand says.

The media also reports that Biden apologized for the months-long delay in approving weapons for Ukraine.

What's in the package

The contents of the package were officially published on the website of the US Department of Defense:

• Missiles for HAWK air defense systems;
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
• Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm Howitzers;
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• 81mm mortar systems;
• M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
• Trailers to transport heavy equipment;
• Coastal and riverine patrol boats;
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
• Small arms ammunition and grenades;
• Demolitions munitions;
• Night vision devices; and
• Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

Earlier, the Associated Press wrote that the Ukrainian army would be able to use the weapons from the new package, among other things, to strike at threats inside Russia to protect the city of Kharkiv. In addition, the weapons will be transferred from existing US stockpiles to ensure that they reach the battlefield in Ukraine quickly.

Zelenskyy and Biden's meeting in France

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his American counterpart Joe Biden are meeting today in France, where they arrived on the occasion of D-Day, the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy in World War II.

These face-to-face talks between the two leaders are the first since Zelenskyy visited Washington in December 2023. However, Zelenskyy and Biden will have another meeting, namely at the G7 summit to be held in Italy on June 13-15.