U.S. Says 'Continues To Engage' With Ukraine On "Victory Plan", As Biden Announces New Aid Package, Signals More Support

The United States said on Wednesday it would continue to engage with Kyiv on its victory plan, initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Washington was also working on other measures to ensure Ukraine's victory, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We continue to work with them about other measures that aren’t included in the plan that we believe would position Ukraine to win on the battlefield and ensure a just and lasting peace," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

He went on to add that the issue was "obviously" discussed between Presidents Joe Biden and Zelenskyy during their phone call Wednesday afternoon.

According to the White House readout of the call, Biden discussed U.S. support for Ukraine and Zelensky and announced a new $425 million military aid package. Included in the package are additional air defense capabilities, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles and munitions.

Biden also discussed how the U.S. will provide a range of additional military capabilities over the coming months, according to the White House. “In the coming months, the United States will provide Ukraine with a range of additional capabilities, including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles, all of which will help to equip Ukraine’s armed forces,” reads the readout.

The call followed Zelensky publicly detailing in Kyiv his plan for victory saying international support through military assistance, intelligence sharing and political commitments are key to ending the war “no later than next year.”

In a speech to the Verkhovna Rada, Zelensky outlined 5 major points that focus on building up the country’s defense capacity to deter Russian aggression. Ukraine also will seek to integrate economic and military connections to Europe and the U.S.

“For our partners, it is completely practical to help us not only endure but also prevail in war for our lives. In doing so, they will help themselves just as much,” Zelensky said, appealing to the coalition of American and European partners to push back against Putin’s reliance on rogue states like North Korea.

Ukrainian intelligence has documented the transfer from Pyongyang of both weapons and troops, he said, adding North Koreans are working in Russian factories and “personnel for the Russian army.”

Speaking to reporters during a virtual call Wednesday morning, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith reacted to reports about North Korea supplying troops to the Russian war effort in Ukraine.

"We've seen those reports, and obviously, if that is true, — and I cannot tell you today whether that is in fact the case — but if it were to be true, it would be a serious increase in the direct support that the DPRK is providing to Russia for its war of aggression in Ukraine," Ambassador Smith said when responding to TURAN's questions.

She also spoke about China saying that Beijing has "picked a side" in the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The PRC does its very best to try and convince the world that it can maintain a very neutral status as it relates to the war in Ukraine.  But in reality, the PRC has picked a side.  It has put its thumb on the scale, and it has opted to support Russia in its war in Ukraine by providing a long list of dual-use components that are enabling the Russians to pursue a whole series of attacks against Ukrainian civilians and Ukrainian troops," Ambassador Smith told TURAN's correspondent, adding that the Western allies and their partners around the world "will continue to call out the PRC for this type of critical support to what Russia is doing inside Ukraine."