JUST IN: Biden to announce U.S. sending Ukraine Patriot missiles during Zelensky's D.C. visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sits next to President Biden during his visit to the White House in September 2021. Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Imagesto Washington Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense battery, according to a senior administration official.While the U.S.
Ukraine has been pressing its partners for air defense systems, especially the sophisticated Patriot battery, to guard againstZelensky's trip to Washington is his first outside of Ukraine since the invasion began. He will meet with Biden, hold a press conference, and then address a joint session of Congress — all within "a few short hours" before returning to Ukraine, the administration official told reporters.
The U.S. official said Biden will announce a $2 billion assistance package, including the Patriot battery, during Zelensky's visit, which will fall on the 300th day of the war.this week as part of its $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, bringing total U.S. assistance to over $100 billion. The U.S. official said Zelensky's visit would help build "momentum" for additional assistance from the U.S. and its allies.
Each launcher in the Patriot system can hold four missiles, and a typical battery includes up to eight launchers. The system requires dozens of soldiers to operate.The U.S. will send the Patriot battery to a third country, where Ukrainian forces will be trained to use it before it's transferred to Ukraine, the senior administration official said.the plan, the training will take place at a base in Germany and could take several months.Asked if Biden would push Zelensky to seek diplomacy with Russia, the senior official said the visit was not about "pushing or prodding or poking" Zelensky, but about showing support and solidarity.
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