U.S. President Joe Biden announced over $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday, aimed at helping the country in its fight against Russian forces. The announcement was made during a visit by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The aid includes a precision-guided bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, which can hit targets up to 81 miles (130 km) away. This gives Ukraine better long-range attack capabilities, allowing them to strike Russian forces from a safer distance. The bomb can be dropped from fighter jets with high accuracy, but the U.S. won’t allow Ukraine to use it for attacks deep inside Russia, a U.S. official clarified.
Biden emphasized that supporting Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, has been a top priority for the U.S. He said the new assistance is part of ongoing efforts to help Ukraine "win this war."
Most of the new aid, $5.5 billion, will be used by the end of the U.S. fiscal year, which is soon approaching. Another $2.4 billion will be spent buying weapons for Ukraine through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, instead of pulling from U.S. military supplies.
This assistance includes more air defense systems, drones, and air-to-ground weapons. Biden also announced that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with an extra Patriot air defense battery and more missiles, along with expanding training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Biden also ordered more support for training 18 additional Ukrainian pilots next year.
