U.S. announces $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine

The United States will provide $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was headed to Washington on Wednesday to meet President Joe Biden and address Congress in his first known overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine 300 days ago.

The assistance includes a $1 billion drawdown to provide Ukraine with "expanded air defense and precision-strike capabilities" and an additional $850 million in security assistance, Blinken said.

"Today's assistance for the first time includes the Patriot Air Defense System, capable of bringing down cruise missiles, short range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at a significantly higher ceiling than previously provided air defense systems," Blinken said in his statement released by the U.S. State Department.

Zelenskiy said earlier his U.S. visit was meant to strengthen Ukraine's "resilience and defense capabilities" amid repeated Russian missile and drone attacks on the country's energy and water supplies in the dead of winter.