US announces new $1bn Ukraine package featuring artillery, rockets and ammo

President Joe Biden also announces $225m in humanitarian aid for Ukrainians

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and vowed to provide an additional $1 billion in security assistance for the country as it seeks to stave off Russian forces in eastern battle zones.

The new aid package includes “additional artillery and coastal defence weapons as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems that the Ukrainians need to support their defensive operations in the Donbas”, Mr Biden said in a statement.

The weapons package includes for the first time launchers for vehicle-mounted Harpoon anti-ship missiles, people familiar with the matter said.

The US package also includes $320 million for secure radios and related equipment, $55m for thermal night-vision optics, and $16m for training, a person familiar with the decision said.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, and survey damage following Russia's invasion. AP

Ukrainian troops fire with a French self-propelled Caesar howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the eastern region of Donbas. AFP

Workers pour molten steel into a mould at a foundry in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, in an area under Russian military control. AP

Russian soldiers guard an area next to a field of wheat in the Zaporizhzhia region. AP

A US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet is parked on board the assault ship USS Kearsarge, during the Baltops 22 exercise in the Baltic Sea. Reuters

A man picks up debris after his house was destroyed by shelling in the city of Dobropillia, Donbas region. AFP

Smoke rises after shelling in Ukraine's breakaway enclave of Donetsk. AFP

A mascot is wrapped in the colours of the Ukrainian flag before the country's Uefa Nations League football match against the Republic of Ireland in Lodz, Poland. Reuters

Russian soldiers walk near a monument at the entrance of Mariupol, which has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag. AFP

French troops at an air base in Constanta, Romania. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the base in a show of support for Nato and European allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AP

Svitlana Nazarenko, sister of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, is comforted by her son during her brother's funeral in Kyiv. The Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donbas region. Getty

Russian troops demine the bay and beach of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP

A Russian soldier inspects the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, in territory which is under control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. AP

A house heavily damaged by Russian shelling is seen through a broken window, in the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. AP

Maryna Golovnia sits in a van with her children as they leave their home in Bakhmut, amid fighting. Getty Images

Ballet dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov rehearses before the evening Gala Concert of the Ukrainian National Ballet, in Kosice, Slovakia. Getty Images

A Ukrainian soldier looks on from inside a tank at a position in the breakaway Donetsk enclave, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

Boys play on top of a damaged Russian tank in Kyiv. EPA

An Orthodox priest blesses Ukrainian soldiers during a service at a church in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA

A damaged Ukrainian navy ship, the 'Donbas', lies partially submerged near the pier in the port city of Mariupol. EPA

Ukrainian soldiers load a projectile into a tank near the small city of Svitlodarsk, in the breakaway Ukrainian enclave of Donetsk. EPA

Smoke rises after the Russian military struck a compound at the Azot Chemical Plant in Lysychansk, Ukraine. Reuters

A Russian serviceman on patrol outside the Ukrainian town of Schastia. AFP

Mourners gather during the funeral of Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Skalskyi in Lviv. AFP

Civilians are evacuated from Lysychansk, in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. AFP

A man passes two destroyed military lorries in Lysychansk. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during clashes with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

An elderly woman reacts as Ukrainian soldiers lead her to safety during a battle with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

A wounded woman is assisted by Ukrainian soldiers in Lysychansk. AFP

A house burns after being shelled in Lysychansk. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks on a radio at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP

A man walks next to a damaged building in Lysychansk. Reuters

A man with children rides a bicycle along an empty street, as smoke rises after Russian shelling in Lysychansk. Reuters

An unexploded shell is stuck in the ground in Lysychansk. euters

An elderly woman, who was evacuated from the Lysychansk area, cries moments before travelling by train to western Ukraine from Pokrovsk railway station. AP

The funding comes from two separate US programmes or lines of authority. About $350m of the $1bn in weapons will come from existing stocks, including more 155mm howitzers and ammunition, more Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and four M1089A1 recovery vehicles, a person familiar with the package said.

The announcement comes as Ukrainian officials plead for more advanced weapons to be delivered faster to fend off Russian advances in the east. Mr Zelenskyy said the war may stagnate if deliveries from Ukraine’s allies do not accelerate.

Nato ministers are meeting in Brussels, Belgium, with the almost four-month-old war at the top of their agenda.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin opened a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Wednesday pledging to maintain military support for Kyiv as it faces a “pivotal moment” on the battlefield.

“We can’t underestimate the challenge that Ukraine faces,” Mr Austin said at Nato headquarters Brussels. “Russia is using its long-range fires to try to overwhelm Ukrainian positions.”

Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, praised the US effort to arm Ukraine before Mr Biden's announcement but also said the quantities of weapons and ammunition need to be increased.

“I also think we need to be giving more sophisticated systems, particularly when it comes to drones and long-range artillery,” Mr Smith said on Wednesday and added that he thinks the US has been “too cautious” so far.

The US has steadily ratcheted up support for Ukraine while batting away questions about how long the flow of aid will last and whether it would support any deal that included Ukraine ceding territory to Russia.