U.S. Vows To Send Billions More To Ukraine After Zelensky Accused Of Election Interference

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with an additional $8 billion in military assistance as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with U.S. leaders.

The new round of military aid for Ukraine will include a shipment of medium-range precision-guided glide bombs that will allow Ukrainian forces to fire upon Russian soldiers from safer distances, Reuters reported. A U.S. official said that the president would not be giving Ukraine the green light to fire missiles at targets deep inside Russia.

The Biden administration’s announcement came shortly after some conservatives accused Zelensky of interfering in the upcoming presidential election. Earlier this week, Zelensky criticized former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and appeared with Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who signed an artillery shell that was being shipped to Ukraine.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pennsylvania democrat Governor Josh Shapiro signed artillery shells to be used in war. This was at a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Democrats are now the party of war and they're proud of it. Sad. pic.twitter.com/I8CK0sr5Fc

— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) September 23, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) blasted Zelensky’s tour of a facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with Shapiro and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because – on purpose – no Republicans were invited. The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelensky. The House speaker also demanded that Zelensky “immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova,” arguing that she can no longer “fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country.”

Zelensky said earlier this week that Vance is “too radical,” adding, “[Vance’s] message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable.”

The Ukrainian president warned that if Vance’s policies on the Ukraine-Russia war were enacted, “then America is headed for global conflict.”

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The latest U.S. assistance package for Ukraine will provide more training for Ukrainian pilots flying American-made F-16s. Biden also said that the $8 billion assistance would give Ukraine another Patriot air defense battery and more Patriot missiles, according to Reuters.

Zelensky thanked the U.S. for the new package, saying it would be used “in the most efficient and transparent manner.”

The U.S. continues to be Ukraine’s largest supporter, far outpacing all other countries in military assistance. From just before the war began through June of this year, the U.S. has committed more than $50 billion in military support for Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Germany, which has offered the second-largest amount of military support for Ukraine, has committed just over $10 billion in aid over the same period.