Joe Biden pledges $500 million to Ukraine in defending against Russia

Kyiv: US President Joe Biden visited Kyiv on Monday and promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington will be an ally as long as it takes. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is approaching its one-year anniversary.

He promised $500 million worth of weapons to Ukraine in its effort against Russian troops. It includes artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems, and air defence radars, reported Reuters. Zelensky said the US President's visit is an "extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians."

Biden praised Ukrainians for their bravery in resisting the Russian aggression and said: "When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong. The cost that Ukraine has had to pay is extraordinarily high. Sacrifices have been far too great ... We know that there will be difficult days and weeks and years ahead."

Zelensky in his nightly address said that Ukraine is breaking down the invaders and inflicting extraordinarily significant losses on Russia. "The more losses Russia suffers there, in Donbas - in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Marinka, Kreminna - the faster we will be able to end this war with Ukraine's victory." Kyiv is set to receive a major influx of weaponry from Europe and the US in the next few months. Until now, Ukraine has been on the defence but it is expected that the new weapon supply will enable the country to plan a counter-offensive.

Biden's visit to Kyiv comes a day before Putin is to make a major address tomorrow. Tatiana Stanovaya, a Russian political analyst, said the address is expected to be "very hawkish, targeted at a demonstrative rupture of relations with the West."