President Joe Biden will host a call with allies Thursday about next steps in support of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, the White House said, after the US announced more than $2.8 billion in additional aid for Ukraine and its neighbors.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will host a call with allies Thursday about next steps in support of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, the White House said, after the US announced more than $2.8 billion in additional aid for Ukraine and its neighbors.
The call will “underscore our continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression,” the White House said in a statement, without providing further details. People familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private planning, said Biden will lead the video session with participants including Group of Seven leaders, as well as the leaders of NATO and the European Union.
The video format was used in the early months of the war, and Biden is reviving it as the seven-month mark of the conflict approaches, one of the people said.
Biden has sought to maintain unity in backing Ukraine, and the call comes the same week the UK swore in a new leader, Liz Truss, who has positioned herself as a hawk in the confrontation with Russia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv for meetings with top leaders, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Germany for a meeting with other European leaders and said the war was entering a “new phase” with a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The US is planning to provide another $2.8 billion in foreign military financing to back Ukraine’s efforts as well as 18 neighboring nations, including NATO allies, Blinken said in a statement. That includes $2.2 billion in longterm investments and $675 million in arms, munitions and equipment.
“Ukraine’s extraordinary front-line defenders continue to courageously fight for their country’s freedom, and President Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Blinken said.
Blinken met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for a 30-minute conversation. On Friday, he’ll go to Brussels for meetings with NATO. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced NATO will host Blinken in Brussels on Friday.
The Pentagon has also sent Ukraine its most accurate artillery shell, the GPS-guided Excalibur, according to budget documents. Excalibur’s accuracy reduces the number of rounds required while reducing collateral damage. Each round costs about $100,000.
Biden’s call will take place as Ukraine pursues an offensive against Russian forces and as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since the war began in February.
That encounter will be on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit that runs from Sept. 15-16 in Uzbekistan, Russia’s ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said, according to a Tass report.
Both Putin and Xi also plan to attend the Group of 20 summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in November, according to Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo.
Stoltenberg wrote in Wednesday’s Financial Times that the war is “entering a critical phase” and warned of a tough winter ahead for members of the military alliance that could include “energy cuts, disruptions and perhaps even civil unrest.”
(Updates with White House confirming phone call in first paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
