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US President Joe Biden on Monday made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, saying his country would remain with Ukraine “as long as it takes”. The visit comes just days ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as both sides prepare for offensives expected this spring, Russia boosted by thousands of conscripts and Ukraine fortified with Western battle tanks. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
12:09pm: Japan PM pledges $5.5 billion in additional aid for Ukraine
Japan will offer Ukraine fresh financial support worth $5.5 billion, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday.
“There is still a need to assist people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the war, and to restore destroyed infrastructure,” he said.
Kishida on Monday also announced that he would host an online meeting between Group of Seven leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday – a year to the day since Russia invaded.
“So the G7 leaders can remain united to deal with the invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
11:25am: ‘United States will remain with Ukraine as long as it takes,’ Biden says
During his surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, US President Joe Biden said Washington would provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth $500 million.
Biden, who said his country would “remain with Ukraine as long as it takes”, said the package would be announced on Tuesday and that Washington would also provide more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in Ukraine’s possession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram that Biden’s visit was an “extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians” and posted a photo of the two leaders shaking hands.
11:08am: US President Biden…
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