War Is At Critical Juncture: Biden After US, Germany Announced More Support For Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture, according to US Vice President Joe Biden, as the US and Germany announced additional support for Ukraine on Thursday.

“The Ukrainian conflict is currently at a critical juncture. We must do everything possible to assist the Ukrainians in resisting Russian aggression. And Russia has no intention of slowing down. The actions they are taking are just as barbaric as they were a year ago and they are not slowing down,” Biden told reporters during a Cabinet meeting.

Biden stated that he had a lengthy discussion with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this afternoon about Ukraine and their alliances in Europe and the EU.

We have a much larger number of countries who agree with us, including Japan and others, but he said we discussed what we were going to do.

“We issued a joint statement today stating that we will increase our support for Ukraine. We will provide Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the Ukrainians and the Germans will provide Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the Ukrainians,” according to Biden.

“In addition, we're going to help defend Ukraine against Russian air attacks. Germany also announced today that it will provide the Ukrainians with a Patriot air defence system to deal with air attacks. We will supply an additional Patriot air defence battery. They work, and the Russians are starting to notice. They work well and contribute significantly,” Biden added.

Earlier in the call, Biden and Scholz discussed Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression, according to a readout of the call from the White House.

Biden and Scholz expressed their shared determination to continue providing Ukraine with the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for as long as it is required.

In light of Russia's ongoing missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, President Biden and Chancellor Scholz affirmed their intention to further support Ukraine's urgent requirement for air defence capabilities.

The United States announced the donation of a Patriot air defence missile battery to Ukraine in late December.

According to the White House, Germany will join the United States in supplying Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defence battery.

During the call, Biden and Scholz expressed gratitude for the military assistance other allies and partners provided to Ukraine, endorsed the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's ongoing coordination efforts, and welcomed additional air defence systems and combat vehicles donations.