President of the United States Joe Biden has once again assured his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky, that Washington will continue providing Ukraine with military assistance including advanced air defense systems.
Talks between the two presidents took place on Monday via the telephone, the White House said.
“President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems,” the White House statement read, adding that he also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia.
In the statement, the US president condemned Russia’s missile strikes across Ukraine, including in Kiev, labeling the bombardment as senseless.
On Monday, Russia inflicted massive air strikes on Ukraine’s energy, military and telecom facilities in response to Saturday’s explosion on the Kerch Bridge and other “terrorist attacks” allegedly carried out by Ukraine’s intelligence.
Speaking at a meeting with the members of the Russian Security Council, President Putin said the evidence gathered by Russian investigators shows that Ukrainian intelligence was behind Saturday’s attack on the bridge which connects Russia to Crimea, according to local media reports.
The death toll from Russia’s widespread attacks on Ukraine rose to 11 with dozens more wounded on Monday, Ukrainian authorities announced.
