Biden sends $800M in additional military aid to Ukraine, bans Russian ships from U.S. ports

U.S. President Biden said Thursday he is sending another $800 million in military aid to Ukraine to send an “unmistakable message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He will never succeed in dominating and occupying Ukraine. That will not happen,” Mr. Biden said from the White House.

Paraphrasing Theodore Roosevelt, Mr. Biden said the U.S. will “speak softly and carry a large Javelin” in providing weapons to Ukraine, meaning some of the specifics will be kept secret.

It is the eighth drawdown of arms, equipment and supplies from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August and comes on top of another $800 million announced last week.

Mr. Biden also announced $500 million in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government, bringing total economic support to $1 billion over the past two months as Ukraine tries to fend off shocks to its economy and rebuild.