Biden talks with Zelensky, announces new military aid for Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) invites Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks in Mariinskyi Palace, on August 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [AFP]

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and announced a new round of military aid for Kyiv that the Pentagon valued at $125 million.

The call between the two leaders came ahead of Ukraine's independence day, and on the same day that Washington announced sweeping sanctions against hundreds of individuals and companies tied to Russia's invasion of the country.

"I am proud we will announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine today," Biden said in a statement.

"The package includes air defence missiles to protect Ukraine's critical infrastructure; counter-drone equipment and anti-armour missiles to defend against Russia's evolving tactics on the battlefield; and ammunition for frontline soldiers and the mobile rocket systems that protect them," he said.

"Russia will not prevail in this conflict. The independent people of Ukraine will prevail -- and the United States, our allies, and our partners, will continue to stand with them every step of the way," Biden added.

The US Defense Department later said the package was worth $125 million and consisted of items drawn from American stocks, providing Kyiv with "additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs."

Zelensky praised the military aid announcement, saying there is an especially urgent requirement for air defences.

"I welcomed the new US military aid package and emphasized that Ukraine urgently requires the delivery of weapons from the announced packages, particularly additional air defence systems, to reliably protect our cities, communities and critical infrastructure," he said in a post on X.

The United States has been a key military backer of Ukraine, committing more than $55 billion in weapons, ammunition and other security aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

New sanctions on Russia

The latest aid announcement comes as Ukrainian troops press an attack into Russia's western Kursk region -- an offensive that is the most serious attack by a foreign army on Russian territory since World War II.

Earlier on Friday, the US Treasury, State and Commerce departments announced new sanctions that build on a raft of existing measures enacted against Russia over the invasion.

The sanctions target nearly 400 individuals and entities both inside and outside of Russia "whose products and services enable Russia to sustain its war effort and evade sanctions," the US Treasury Department announced in a statement.

Among those sanctioned were 60 Russia-based defence and technology firms "critical for the sustainment and development of Russia's defence industry," it added.

The State Department said in a separate statement that it was responsible for 190 of the sanctions and that Treasury was responsible for close to 200 others.

It added that its designations "aim to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple third countries," including China, along with businesses supporting the development of Russian energy projects.

Alongside the sanctions unveiled Friday, the Commerce Department announced it was taking "aggressive action" to further restrict the supply of items made in the United States, or labelled as such, to both Russia and Belarus, due to "the Kremlin's illegal war on Ukraine."

"Today's actions will further constrain Russia's ability to arm its military by targeting illicit procurement networks designed to circumvent global export controls," the department said in a statement.