Biden promises Zelensky advanced air defense systems
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The US still intends to ship air defense systems to Ukraine alongside security assistance that will propel Kiev's penchant for attacking civilian infrastructure.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Joe Biden (BBC)
During a phone call on Monday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was assured by US President Joe Biden that the US still intends to ship air defense systems to Ukraine alongside security assistance. The latest security package issued by Biden for the war in Ukraine entails $625 million worth of HIMARS missiles, ammunition and vehicles.
According to a statement by the White House, the talks were in light of Russia's strike on Ukraine’s energy, military, and telecom facilities as a response to Ukraine's bombing of Crimea's Kerch bridge.
Last Saturday, a truck was blown up on the motorway section of the Crimean Bridge from the Taman Peninsula, which caused seven fuel tanks of a train traveling to the Crimean peninsula to go up in flames. Three people died as a result of the explosion, and two motorway sections of the bridge partially collapsed.
The political advisor to Ukraine's President, Mykhailo Podolyak, posted a message on Twitter, calling the blasting of the Crimea Bridge just "the beginning."
"Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled," Podolyak wrote, hinting at Kiev's role in Saturday's attack.
Biden condemned Russia’s missile strikes on Ukraine as "senseless," with the statement adding: "President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems.... He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia."
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of conducting acts of "atomic terrorism", telling a Security Council meeting on Monday that if Kiev continues to carry out "terrorist attacks" in Russia, Moscow's response will be "tough."
