U.S. Offered $3 Billion Additional Aid on Ukraine’s Independence Day

It was reported on August 25th that U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday (Aug. 24th) he would offer nearly $3 billion additional military aid to Ukraine, which celebrates the 31st anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union, and the six months milestone after being invaded by Russia.

In a statement, Biden noted that the aid package will enable Ukraine to obtain air defense and artillery systems, ammunition, radars, and other equipment to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term. “Today is not only a celebration of the past, but a resounding affirmation that Ukraine proudly remains — and will remain — a sovereign and independent nation,” Biden said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged in a video to take back parts of the eastern Donbas region that Russia has seized since the invasion began on February 24th, as well as Crimea, which had been annexed by Russia since 2014.

In a video address to a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Zelenskyy accused Russia of launching an offensive on a train station in the eastern region, killing and injuring people.

Ukraine’s parliament declared the country’s independence before the collapse of the Soviet Union on Aug. 24th, 1991.