U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the State Department to send another $350 million in weapons, including Javelin anti-tank weapons, to help Ukrainian forces fight advancing Russian troops.
Meanwhile, Russia has ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine "from all directions" after having made a ceasefire offer earlier, which Moscow said had been turned down by Ukraine.
With Ukraine struggling to repel Russia’s tanks, bombers, helicopters and missiles, the new US arms package would supply Ukrainian forces with anti-armour and anti-aircraft systems, ammunition for firearms and body armour, according to the US State Department.
This marks the third time Biden has used his presidential drawdown authority to send emergency security assistance from U.S. stockpiles to Ukraine, and it brings the total commitment of U.S. security assistance to $1 billion for this year.
Previous tranches of U.S. aid have arrived by aircraft, and although Ukrainian airspace is now contested, U.S. aid will continue to flow to Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said Saturday.
Ukraine, on its part, has rejected Russian suggestions that it was refusing to negotiate a ceasefire but said it was not ready to accept "unacceptable conditions" after the Kremlin accused the country of prolonging the military conflict.
Russian forces were reported to be using artillery and cruise missiles in the battle on Saturday but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian hands.
Germany and its Western allies have agreed to cut Russia out of the SWIFT global payment system, a spokesperson for the German government said, in a third sanctions package aimed at halting Russia’s military operation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday had called on the Ukrainian military to seize power in their country in order to reach an easier agreement with Russia.
"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and Ukrainian radical nationalists to use your children, wives and elders as human shields. Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach an agreement," Putin said at a televised meeting with Russia's security council.
Also read: Putin urges Ukraine military to take over power and hold talks directly with Russia to end conflict
