Biden Promises Increased Armament Support to Ukraine Following Christmas Attacks
The president stated, “The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter.”
On Christmas Day, President Joe Biden announced that he has instructed the Pentagon to continue its “surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine” in response to a series of Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure early Christmas morning.
He added, “Let me be clear: the Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and safety, and the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it triumphs over Russia’s aggression.”
The president affirmed that the United States will persist in supporting Ukraine against Russian forces in the ongoing conflict.
Following the Russia-initiated attack using 78 air and ground missiles and 106 Shahed drones, Ukraine’s air force reported significant damage to critical equipment in the power grid, resulting in outages on Christmas Day.
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According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine successfully defended against “more than 50 missiles and a significant number of drones,” although power outages persist as engineers work to restore power.
“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas,” Zelenskyy declared.
The attacks resulted in at least six injuries in Kharkiv and one fatality in Dnipropetrovsk, as confirmed by local governors.
Ukraine, predominantly Christian Orthodox, previously observed Christmas on Jan. 7, along with Russia. However, the date was changed to Dec. 25 in 2023, aligning with Western countries.
After nearly three years of conflict, the US has pledged $175 billion in aid to Ukraine.
President-elect Donald Trump, set to assume office on Jan. 20, has expressed his desire to swiftly end the war.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s nominee for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, condemned the Christmas Day attack, stating, “Launching large-scale missile and drone attacks on the day of the Lord’s birth is wrong. The world is closely watching actions on both sides. The U.S. is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region.”
Jackson Richman and Reuters contributed to this report.
