“Make no mistake: Russia will not win this conflict,” Biden said. “The independent people of Ukraine will win – and the United States, our allies, and our partners will continue to stand with them every step of the way.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov late Friday that the package was worth $125 million.

The US Embassy in Kyiv has warned that there is an increased risk of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine over the Independence Day weekend.

Zelensky welcomed the commitment and the new sanctions, but said late Friday evening that the country “urgently” needed the supplies and also demanded new air defense systems.

“I welcomed the new US military aid package and stressed that Ukraine urgently needs the delivery of weapons from the announced packages, in particular additional air defense systems to reliably protect our cities, communities and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said.

While Western allies – especially the US and Germany – have modern air defence systems capable of repelling aircraft and ballistic missiles, Ukraine says it needs many more platforms for its defence.