US President Joe Biden has visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on his first journey to the nation since Russia’s invasion on 24 February final yr.
The president stated Washington would offer Kyiv with a brand new army assist bundle value $500m which might be introduced on Tuesday, as he was pictured strolling within the metropolis with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The White House stated Mr Biden would announce extra sanctions on Russia and army assist for Ukraine together with artillery ammunition, anti-armour methods and air surveillance radars.
Putin was ‘useless fallacious’ – Ukraine newest
Mr Biden stated Russian President Vladimir Putin thought Ukraine was “weak and the West was divided” and “thought he could outlast us” however added – “he was dead wrong”.
Ukraine’s president says the pair mentioned long-range weapons and described negotiations as “very fruitful”.
‘Negotiations have been very fruitful’
In a press release from the White House, the president stated his go to to Kyiv would “reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity”.
He added that there will likely be extra sanctions on Russia “against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine”.
Addressing reporters in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy described Mr Biden’s go to as an “extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians”.
“Negotiations today were very fruitful, very important and very crucial,” he stated, including that the outcomes will “definitely” have an effect on the battlefield.
Trip marks ‘historic second’
Mr Biden stated the bundle would additionally present extra ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems in Ukraine’s possession.
Speaking from Kyiv, Sky’s safety and defence editor Deborah Haynes stated the go to is a “historic moment” and got here with “extraordinary security lockdowns” with the entire centre of the capital locked down this morning.
The unannounced journey comes after the White House stated final week that there have been no plans for the president to cross into Ukraine throughout his go to to Poland this week, to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
His go to got here a day earlier than Mr Putin was resulting from make a serious deal with, when he’s anticipated to set out Russia’s goals for the second yr of the invasion he launched final yr.
In December, Mr Zelenskyy visited President Biden on the White House on his first journey out of Ukraine because the battle started.
Mr Biden’s journey comes as Ukrainian and Russian forces proceed to battle for management of the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut within the Donetsk area.
While Mr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will keep its months-long defence of town, he warned “not at any price”.
He informed Italian every day Corriere Della Sera: “It is important for us to defend it, but not at any price and not for everyone to die.”
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Russian forces have besieged Bakhmut since July and, led by the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries, they’ve made small good points in close by villages.
While some say town has extra of a symbolic worth than a strategic one – it’s the gateway to different cities additional west within the Donetsk area.
Source: information.sky.com”