Biden could send senior US officials to Ukraine
The United States is looking to send further support to Ukraine, though symbolic, by putting some officials on a plane and sending them to a country undergoing war.
-
US President Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden revealed Thursday he was considering sending senior US officials to Ukraine, which would be but another bid by Washington to show support for Kiev as the latter keeps on asking for more backing.
"We're making that decision now," Biden responded to a question about whether he would send officials to Ukraine, though he did not specify which officials might be under consideration.
Biden suggested he might also be willing to travel to Kiev during a press conference, though White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki ruled out that possibility right this Monday.
Potential US officials making a trip to Kiev could include State Secretary Antony Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, with State Department spokesperson Ned Price declining to comment on the possibility of him visiting the Ukrainian capital.
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States was giving another $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine after a call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The latest package of lethal weapons will include systems already deployed in Ukraine and "new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine," as Biden claimed.
This comes after the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, warned that the influx of Western arms to the conflict zone in Ukraine was adding fuel to the fire.
Since the start of the war, the United States has deployed more than 100,000 of its troops to NATO member states, with the Biden administration authorizing $1.7 billion in military aid. Since Biden took office, however, Washington has given Ukraine $2.4 billion in military assistance, according to figures provided by the White House.
