Show a little moreJoe Biden loses cool during call with Ukraine President
The United States has been a leading provider of security assistance to Ukraine, particularly since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on February 24.However, a report by NBC has stated that President Joe Biden had lost his temper on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during a June phone call.As per NBC report which cited four people familiar with the call has said that the reason was over additional military aid.
The report said Biden routinely calls Zelenskyy when the US announces new aid packages for Ukraine. But the June call was different.Biden had barely finished informing Zelenskyy that he had approved another $1 billion in military assistance for Ukraine when his counterpart started asking for extra help Kyiv needs but isn’t getting, the report said.Biden raised his voice, and as per the NBC report said Zelenskyy could “show a little more gratitude.”
Prior to the June 15 phone call, Biden’s dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy had been building for weeks, the sources said. According to them, the US president and a number of his aides believed that Washington was doing everything possible and as quickly as possible, but Zelenskyy continued to publicly pay attention only to what was not being done.
After Zelenskyy was rebuffed during the June call, Zelenskyy publicly delivered a video message thanking Biden for the assistance and defusing the tensions.The United States announced new strengthening of our defence, a new $1 billion support package,” Zelensky had said in his address. “I am grateful for this support, it is especially important for our defence in (the eastern region of) Donbas.”
Biden had announced an arms package to Ukraine worth $1 billion, including more artillery, coastal anti-ship defence systems, ammunition for artillery and advanced rocket systems that Ukraine was already using.I am also grateful for the (US) leadership in mobilising the help of all partners,” Zelenskyy had saidThis report on the Biden-Zelenskyy phone call comes two days after Washington announced $275 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine.
U.S. Department of Defense inventories, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on 28 October announced that United States will provide $275 million in additional military assistance to Ukraine, including arms, munitions and equipment.”We are also working to provide Ukraine with the air defense capabilities it needs with the two initial U.S.-provided NASAMS ready for delivery to Ukraine next month and we are working with Allies and partners to enable delivery of their own air defense systems to Ukraine,” Blinken said.
In September, US government had announced that it would send $600 million in military aid to Ukraine. Reports had indicated that the September aid was the 21st time that the US defence department will send military aid to Ukraine and that the package could include more of the same types of ammunition and equipment that helped the Ukrainian forces beat the Russian forces in parts of east and south.
After the October package was announced, US State Department said in a statement that, “This drawdown will bring the total US military assistance for Ukraine to an unprecedented level of more than $18.5 billion since the beginning of the Administration.The United States, in 2022, provided more advanced defence equipment to Ukraine, as well as greater amounts of previously provided equipment, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
