news president biden has announced an
extra billion dollars in military
support for ukraine the largest single
military aid package since russia
invaded the u.s defense secretary said
at a nato meeting on wednesday he'll
move heaven and earth to ensure ukraine
gets the weapons it needs nato defence
ministers are reconvening in brussels
for the final day of the summit our
north america correspondent peter bose
reports
this is the kind of military aid that
ukraine says it desperately needs
a billion dollar package that includes
longer range rocket and missile systems
the goal to help target russian troops
and locations
from farther away and bolster ukraine's
embattled defense forces
in the eastern dombass region it's a
pivotal moment in the war according to
the u.s defense secretary lloyd austin
who's been speaking to a meeting of nato
defense ministers in brussels we're
going to continue to work hard
to move things as much capability as we
can as fast as we can
and
to ensure that ukraine can be successful
on a battlefield
he said russia had shifted its focus to
the donbass the challenge facing ukraine
could not be underestimated the stakes
he said were high and the western
alliance could not afford to let up
the united states announced the
strengthening of our defenses an extra
one billion dollars support package
it is coastal defense artillery and
modern rocket systems we are waiting i'm
extremely grateful for the support which
is especially important for our defence
forces in the
donbass the war is at a critical stage
in eastern ukraine but the latest u.s
assessment of russia's advances suggests
moscow's forces are facing a raft of
problems the advances that the russians
have made have been very slow a very
tough slog very severe battle of
attrition almost world war one like
and the russians have suffered
tremendous amounts of casualties
the white house has also announced an
additional 225 million dollars in
humanitarian aid for ukraine including
supplying safe drinking water critical
medical supplies and food the us says
it's also trying to resolve some of the
wider problems caused by the war i think
we're working real hard
not just
with the leadership in ukraine but but
in the region
to try to relieve the pressure
that has resulted from mr putin
literally weaponizing food
and so the president's looking at a
range of options here to uh to try to
see if we can get grain out and into the
market um and that's a that's tricky
business
a tricky business all around
the us has now committed more than 6
billion in security assistance to
ukraine since the beginning of the biden
administration
but this is a country facing its own
financial crisis
news of a higher than expected hike in
interest rates and talk of a possible
recession are a greater concern for some
than a potentially protracted war in
europe a political tightrope for joe
biden to navigate thank you in the
months ahead peter bose bbc news