‘On this day, my message to the Ukrainian people is clear: the United States stands with you,’ President Joe Biden said.
President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine following Russia’s massive drone attack against the country, which left more than a million Ukrainian households without electricity.
Russia launched 188 drones in the Nov. 27 attack that targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with 76 of them being intercepted by Ukraine’s air defenses,
according to Ukraine’s air force.
In a Nov. 28
statement, Biden criticized Russia for what he described as a “horrific” aerial attack.
The outgoing president said it highlighted the urgency and importance of supporting the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression.
“On this day, my message to the Ukrainian people is clear: the United States stands with you,” he stated. “The United States stands with more than 50 countries in support of Ukraine and its fight for freedom.”
Biden said that the United States has been working for months to help Ukraine strengthen “the resilience of its energy grid” ahead of the winter season while the Pentagon “continues to surge other critical capabilities to Ukraine, including artillery, rockets, and armored vehicles.”
“Earlier this year, and at my direction, the United States began prioritizing air defense exports so they go to Ukraine first,” the president stated.
Referring to Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system, Russian President Vladimir Putin
said on Nov. 28, “Of course, we will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, as has already been said, including by possibly continuing to test the
Oreshnik in combat conditions, as was done on Nov. 21.”
Putin said that Russia’s Ministry of Defence and general staff were already selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory, which could include “military facilities, defense and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centers in Kyiv.”
Kyiv is heavily protected by air defenses, but Putin said the
Oreshnik missile travels too fast to be intercepted. Russia first deployed the Oreshnik missile on Nov. 21, just days after Biden seemingly
authorized Ukraine to fire U.S.-made army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) into Russian territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s recent drone attack and accused Putin of escalating the war to prevent efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“He has no interest in ending this war,” Zelenskyy said in a
statement on Nov. 28. “Putin wants to escalate the situation now so that President Trump fails to end the war.”
President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 27
nominated Keith Kellogg, a former national security adviser, as his special envoy for the Ukraine–Russia conflict in his incoming cabinet.
Trump has previously
expressed his desire to seek an immediate end to the war in Ukraine.
Putin said Biden’s reported authorization of Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory could complicate the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to engage Russia in peace talks.
“It’s possible that the current administration wants to create difficulties for the future administration,” Putin
said on Nov. 28. “But as in my view of the newly elected president—he’s a quite clever and experienced man—I think he will find a solution given that he has tackled such a challenge as reclaiming the White House.”
Chris Summers contributed to this report.
