U.S. to send Ukraine $800 million more in military aid
STORY: As Ukraine prepares for an aggressive Russian assault expected in the east, the White House on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
The latest package includes artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy has been pleading with U.S. and European leaders to provide heavier arms and equipment as his country faces an invasion that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the new military equipment should provide immediate help.
"These are not highly complex systems. The systems that will probably require some additional training for Ukrainian forces are the Howitzers, the TPQ-36 counter-artillery radar. Not a very difficult system to operate, but it's not one that they have in their inventory."
With evidence of attacks on civilians mounting, Biden this week called the Russian invasion a genocide -- the Kremlin said Wednesday the comments were wrong and unacceptable.
Since Russian forces invaded in February, the U.S. aid to Ukraine has reached more than $2.5 billion with the latest package.
