US to give Ukraine Sh75.5B in military aid

President Joe Biden speaks about the response efforts to Hurricane Ian from the White House on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. [Susan Walsh, AP]

US President Joe Biden has pledged that the US will help Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia, by providing them with Sh75.5b in military aid.

In a phone call that was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden assured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine that the US was fully behind him and that it would not recognize any of the annexed regions by Russia, the White House said in a statement.

Among the pledges made by Biden are to provide Ukraine with additional weapons and equipment, including HIMARS, artillery systems and ammunition, and armored vehicles as it defends itself from what the White House described as 'Russian aggression' saying the support will be extended for as long as Ukraine needs it.

"President Biden also affirmed the continued readiness of the United States to impose severe costs on any individual, entity, or country that provides support to Russia's purported annexation," the statement reads in part.

Biden said that the past support extended to Ukraine had given room for the safe exportation of Ukrainian grain to global markets adding that they would ensure that it continues without being interrupted by the war.

He defended the continued support of Ukraine by the US and its rallying call to other countries to do the same, saying that it is enshrined in the United Nations Charter for Ukraine to defend 'its freedom and democracy'.

This comes after the UN Human Rights Council said that Russia's annexation of four regions in Ukraine will only make the conflict worse exacerbating human rights violations.

"The purported redrawing of international borders puts at risk human rights, including fundamental freedoms and access to health, jobs or social services," the UN said on Twitter.

The UN says the latest move by Russia moves away from anticipated peace in the region to escalation.