US vows support for Ukraine until Trump assumes office
UNB
Publish: 13 Nov 2024, 08:26 PM
BRUSSELS,
Nov 13 (AP/UNB) - President Joe Biden intends to bolster U.S. military support
to Ukraine in the final months of his administration, U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, after Russia launched a sophisticated missile
and drone attack on Kyiv.
The U.S. will
"continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine to make sure that
it can effectively defend itself against this Russian aggression," Blinken
told reporters at NATO headquarters, before planned meetings with allied envoys
and Ukrainian officials.
Blinken warned that
North Korea's decision to send its troops into combat operations alongside
Russian forces "demands and will get a firm response." He didn't
elaborate.
U.S., South Korean and
Ukrainian intelligence assessments say up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops
are being sent to the war. The bulk of those troops were expected to be
deployed in Russia's Kursk region where Ukrainian troops have seized a swathe
of territory.
Russia's early morning
missile and drone attack was the first on Kyiv in 73 days. President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has said that Russia is intensifying its strikes, apparently in an
effort to discourage Ukrainians from continuing the war, which is approaching
its 1,000-day milestone.
Russia appears to be
pressing its advantage as doubt swirls about how Washington might change policy
on the war after Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president in January. The
U.S. is the biggest provider of military help to Ukraine.
Trump has slammed the
Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid and has
promised to quickly end the conflict. Ukraine's international backers fear that
any rushed settlement would mostly benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.
End/UNB/AP/MB