Joe Biden seeks US$33 billion for Ukraine, wants power to seize Russian oligarchs’ wealth
- ‘The cost of this fight is not cheap,’ the US president says, but warns that caving to Putin’s aggression will be even more costly
- Biden calls Moscow’s nuclear threats a sign of ‘desperation’, and says the US has already sent 10 anti-tank weapons for every Russian tank in Ukraine
US President Joe Biden on Thursday proposed a huge US$33 billion package for arming and supporting Ukraine, saying that “caving” in to Russia is not an option for the West as the war stretches into a third month.
Speaking in the White House, Biden also outlined proposed new laws to allow using luxury assets stripped from Russian oligarchs under unprecedented sanctions to compensate Ukraine for the destruction wreaked by the invading Russians.
He acknowledged the dramatic costs of US backing for Ukraine, but said there was no real choice in the struggle with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The cost of this fight is not cheap. But caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen,” he said.
01:45
Ukrainian forces optimistic they can hold off Russian advance in Donbas region
Reflecting the scale of the US assistance to Ukraine, which is badly mauling the larger and more heavily armed Russian forces, Biden confirmed that the United States has already sent 10 tank-killing weapons for every Russian tank sent into the country.
