Biden assures Zelensky US will ‘quickly provide’ security package after it clears Congress

Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talk during Biden’s unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2023.

President Biden on Monday spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to assure him the United States will provide more aid as soon as the Senate passes the national security package, the White House announced.

Biden on Monday told Zelensky the U.S. has a “lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression” and that “his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental and he signs it into law.”

The president also told Zelensky that economic assistance from the U.S. aims to help Ukraine maintain financial stability, build infrastructure following attacks from Russia and support reform while Ukraine moves toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

Biden on Monday also spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and von der Leyen congratulated him on the House passage of the national security supplemental.

“They spoke about how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” according to the White House.

The Senate is set to vote Tuesday to advance a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine, which the House passed over the weekend.

The Senate is widely expected to approve the foreign aid package this week after 22 of 49 Senate Republicans voted for it when it passed the Senate in February.

Tags Joe Biden Ursula von der Leyen Volodymyr Zelensky

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