US Pledges USD2.6B in Military Aid to Ukraine as Fighting Continues in Bakhmut
(MENAFN) The United States has announced a new package of weapons and other military equipment for Ukraine, where Russian troops continue their long and costly battle to seize the eastern city of Bakhmut. The new aid package includes three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets, and fuel trucks, and comes as Ukrainian forces prepare to mount a counteroffensive against Russian forces. The total military aid provided by the US to Ukraine since the Russian invasion now stands at over $35 billion.
The battlefield focus remains on Bakhmut, a mining city and transport hub on the edge of a chunk of Donetsk province largely under Russian control. Both sides have suffered huge casualties, and much of the city has been reduced to ruins after months of street fighting and bombardments. The fate of Bakhmut was unclear on Wednesday morning after Russian forces claimed over the weekend that they had captured the city center, a claim dismissed by Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in neighboring Poland on an official visit to a close ally that has taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees and provided vital weaponry to the Kyiv government. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron was due in China after he and US President Joe Biden agreed to engage Beijing to hasten the end of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, now in its second year.
However, Moscow’s embassy in Washington accused the United States of wanting to drag out the conflict as long as possible, Russian news agency TASS said. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the conflict, and has accused Ukraine, the US, and NATO of escalating tensions in the region.
The situation in Ukraine remains tense, and the conflict shows no signs of abating. The new US aid package is a clear indication of the country's commitment to supporting Ukraine's efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. As the world watches the situation in Ukraine unfold, the hope is that diplomacy will prevail and that a peaceful resolution to the conflict can be found.
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