US to give $1.85 billion in new military aide, including Patriots, to Ukraine
The United States will provide $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.
The announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Washington to meet Biden and address Congress on his first known overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine 300 days ago.
The Patriot system is "a defensive system, it's not escalatory, it's defensive" Biden said in a joint news briefing with Zelenskiy.
The Patriot is considered to be one of the most advanced U.S. air defence systems and offers protection against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. It typically includes launchers along with radar and other support vehicles.
Zelenskiy on Wednesday said the U.S. promise to provide the Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system was an important step in creating an effective air shield.
Russia said last week that U.S. plans to supply Patriot missile defence systems to Ukraine were a "provocation" and a further expansion of U.S. military involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
The Kremlin had said that if delivered, U.S. Patriot missile defence systems would be a legitimate target for Russian strikes against Ukraine.
The Pentagon said the aid package would also include ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), precision-guided artillery rounds and precision aerial munitions.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the United States has committed about $21.2 billion in military assistance to Kyiv.
