LAST UPDATE: 18:27
US President Joe Biden has announced that he will send $ 800 million in military aid to Ukraine.
The new aid package includes “heavy artillery, dozens of mortars, 144,000 rounds of ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles,” Biden said in a White House statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “will never succeed” in occupying Ukraine, Biden vowed, disputing that the Russians have full control of Mariupol. “It is debatable whether (Putin) controls Mariupol. There is still no evidence that Mariupol has been lost,” he said.
At the same time, Biden called on Congress to approve additional funding to send more aid to Kyiv. “We are at a critical juncture, where (the Russians) will set the stage for the next phase of this war,” he said, adding that the United States and its allies were “acting as quickly as possible” to provide Ukraine with equipment and the weapons he needs.
Following the example of Canada and many European countries, the United States will ban the docking of Russian ships, taking another step to intensify pressure on Moscow. The White House is expected to announce more details about the measure later.
“This means that no ship under the Russian flag or owned by a Russian entity will be allowed to dock in US ports or approach our shores. None,” Biden said.
According to sources cited by Reuters, in 2021 Russian ships docked 1,800 times in US ports, a number that is a very small percentage of total traffic.
Canada has closed its ports to Russian-owned ships since March 1.
$ 500 million package to keep Ukraine running
The United States has said it will release an additional $ 500 million in financial aid to support Ukraine, in addition to the $ 500 million that was released in March by US President Joe Biden, according to an official. of the US Treasury Department.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to brief Ukrainian Prime Minister Dennis Smihal today during a private meeting in Washington.
This assistance is expected to enable Ukraine to maintain the functioning of the government, distributing, in particular, salaries and pensions and to avoid a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the US official clarified.
It must be approved by Congress before it can be disbursed as soon as possible in the face of urgent needs.
Ukraine, invaded by Russia on February 24, has suffered severe economic damage, with many infrastructure disasters, businesses that have closed or have little activity. The conflict has also affected the important agricultural sector.
Ukrainian officials have told the International Monetary Fund that $ 5 billion a month is needed to keep the country’s economy afloat, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said yesterday.
US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Anteyemo is also expected to attend the meeting between Yellen and Smihal today, as well as Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergie Martsenko, who was able to attend the G20 summit yesterday, although Ukraine is not a member. group of the 20 strongest economies on the planet.
Source: Capital
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