WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday 2 billion U.S. dollars in foreign military financing for Ukraine as Russia intensifies offensive operations in the country.
The financing will address Ukraine's immediate need for weapons, assist Ukraine in investing in its defense industrial base and help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries, Blinken said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev, aired on the State Department's website.
The secretary's trip to Kiev came at a time when Russia has renewed its offensive operations in Ukraine, including a ground assault around the northern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Blinken said the United States has been "rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, air defenses -- rushing them to get to the front lines, to protect soldiers to protect civilians," adding that air defense is "a matter of both urgency and priority" for Ukraine.
On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a press briefing that President Joe Biden's administration had secured one Patriot air defense system for Ukraine from one U.S. ally.
Ukraine has been requesting additional Patriots from the West for months, with officials saying the country needs 26 such systems to cover the entirety of its territory and at least seven to protect key targets from Russian aerial bombardments. ■
