Finance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his desire for the swift implementation of agreements reached with the United States during his visit to Washington last week.
“Today I held an extended meeting on the results of my visit to the US and the implementation of the agreements,” the President said in his night video address to the nation on Monday. We will not squander our time.
“We will quickly implement everything that was agreed upon in Washington. As much as possible.”
Zelensky visited the United States on December 21, his first trip abroad since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
During the visit, US President Joe Biden promised his Ukrainian counterpart military assistance, specifically mentioning the Patriot surface-to-air missile battery he recently approved for the war-torn nation as part of a new tranche of security assistance totaling $1.85 billion.
The weapons package approved by Biden included “precision aerial munitions,” according to a Pentagon list.
According to media reports in the United States, they could be “Joint Direct Attack Munitions,” which would convert unguided “dumb” bombs into “smart” bombs by adding fins and a precision guidance system.
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed the “Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023,” which includes $45 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.
It is part of a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund the federal government until fiscal year 2023.
This $45 billion infusion represents the largest infusion of US aid to Kiev, surpassing even the White House’s request to Congress last month for a $37 billion appropriation to aid Ukraine in the ongoing war.
Source:OCN
