US President Joe Biden (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) enter the room to hold a joint news conference in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA, 12 December 2023. Ukrainian President Zelensky is in Washington to meet with members of Congress at the US Capitol and US President Joe Biden at the White House to make a last-ditch effort to convince the US Congress for further military aid before the holiday recess. Republicans want concessions from Democrats on border security in order to support aid to Ukraine. EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDSBy Andrea Shalal and Mike Stone
White House spokesperson John Kirby said earlier the U.S. would continue to provide additional packages for Ukraine "right up to the end of this administration."
Washington said 10 days ago it would send Ukraine $725 million worth of missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines and other weapons.
Biden's outgoing administration is seeking to bolster Ukraine in tackling Russia's invasion, before Biden's term ends in January when Republican President-elect Donald Trump would take office.
Thursday's package worth about $500 million included ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) andHigh-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs), among other assistance, according to Blinken.
After Thursday, about $5.6 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to rush weapons from U.S. stocks to the front lines remains available to Biden without requiring congressional approval.
Moscow's troops have been capturing village after village in Ukraine's east, part of a drive to seize the industrial Donbas region, while Russian air strikes target a hobbled Ukrainian energy grid as winter sets in.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Mike Stone; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler and Diane Craft)
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