A man stands with a homemade sign as northeast Ukrainian community groups gather at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Ian Forsyth | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The United States approved $2 billion in aid to Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of Friday’s Russian invasion and tightened sanctions and tariffs on Moscow in an effort to bolster Kiev’s war effort.
The weapons package announced by the Defense Department includes funding for contracts for HIMARS missiles, drones and anti-drone equipment, mine clearance equipment, 155mm artillery ammunition and secure communications lines.
President Joe Biden met virtually with G-7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday morning to mark the occasion, a year after the group first met to discuss aid.
The Biden administration also announced it to sanction more than 200 persons and entities associated with Russia’s war effort, including targeting the country’s metals and mining sector. The US has also said it will increase controls on the export of Russian goods and raise tariffs on Russian products such as metals and minerals.
Biden has been adamant about showing US support for Ukraine as the war drags into its second year.
On Monday, the president made a surprise visit to the country’s capital, Kyiv, before heading to Warsaw, Poland, where he set off gave a speech for the anniversary. Biden reaffirmed that the United States commitment to support Ukrainelabeling the war as an example of authoritarianism against democracy and condemning the actions of Russian forces, which Biden says constitute war crimes.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said regional authorities had recorded more than 65,000 Russian war crimes since Moscow invaded Ukraine almost a year ago.
Kostin said his teams have also documented more than 14,000 Ukrainian children forced into adoption in Russia.
Before leaving Poland, he met with the leaders of Bucharest 9, the country forming the eastern wing of the NATO alliance, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The leaders agreed to continue supporting the war-weary country.
New funding for U.S. aid comes Friday through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Rather than sending equipment directly, as is done in a presidential drawdown, the acquisition of resources through the Security Assistance Initiative to Ukraine allows the approval of contracts to acquire the necessary weapons and tools.
