US President Joe Biden likely to announce new military aid for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden is all set to deliver an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday as he works to complete a new arms package for its military.

The US President is set to address Americans from the White House Roosevelt Room at 9:45 am (1345 GMT), Reuters reported and said that he is “expected to provide an update on the efforts to support Ukraine and the assistance we are providing.”

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Earlier, speaking to Reuters, another US official said that the new arms package was likely to be roughly the same size as an $800 million one announced last week but details were still being worked out.

On Wednesday, Biden convened US military leaders in an annual White House gathering that took on special significance as the war enters a risky new phase.

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Opening the meeting, Biden touted the toughness of the Ukrainian military and said that NATO’s unity had shocked Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It is reported that Russia has entered a new stage of its operation and is methodically seeking to “liberate” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

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Western allies anticipate Russia’s campaign could last many months, grind to a stalemate and test the battlefield capabilities of Ukrainian fighters.

Russia says it launched what it calls a “special military operation” on February 24 to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext.

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The US aid that was announced last week had included artillery systems, artillery rounds, armoured personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defence boats, broadening the scope of materiel sent to Kyiv to include new types of heavy equipment.

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If this week’s aid package is as large as expected, it would bring total US military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded well over $3 billion.