During a stop in New Hampshire Tuesday, President Joe Biden said “yes” when asked if he plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.
Biden did not elaborate on the new pledge, but it comes as America delivers $800 million worth of military supplies to the country amid Ukraine's battle with Russia. The announcement also comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukraine Soviet-era weapons that can be easily used by Ukrainian forces.
The announcement comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was launching a major offensive in Eastern Ukraine.
The State Department said the items being sent to Ukraine include artillery, armored vehicles, helicopters, Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels, engineering and field support equipment in addition to anti-armor and anti-personnel capabilities, counter artillery, air defense radars, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, body armor and combat medical equipment.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper late last week, Zelenskyy said it would accept more weapons from the United States and European allies.
"Of course, we need more, but I am happy that he's helping us now,” Zelenskyy said of Biden. “I feel that right now we're having a cleaner dialogue. It's been a dialogue that has had some twists and turns and not just talk. It's been very, very difficult because there aren't many countries that have really helped us.
“This assistance from the United States led by President Biden, and they are doing it again today, but there will never be enough. Enough isn't possible. There is a full-scale war ongoing today, so we still need a lot more than what we have today. Unfortunately, we do not have technical advantages over our enemy, just not on the same level there but our people are stronger.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration’s emphasis is to continue providing Ukraine with weaponry.
“Our focus continues to be on is providing Ukraine, the Ukrainian government, and Ukrainian leaders a historic amount of security assistance -- assistance that's been adapted based on their needs and their successes on the grounds,” she said. “And, obviously, that can be attributed largely to the courage and the bravery of Ukrainian leaders.”
Psaki added that there are no plans for Biden to visit Ukraine due to security concerns.
