Biden condemns Russia’s ‘outrageous’ Christmas attack on Ukraine
Al Jazeera
Biden promises surge in weapons deliveries to Ukraine after drone and missile barrage hits its power grid.
United States President Joe Biden has labelled as “outrageous” a Russian Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s power grid, promising a “surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine”.
Moscow launched more than 170 missiles and drones on Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The strikes, which killed an energy worker, hit a thermal power plant and prompted Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning.
“The United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defence against Russian forces,” the outgoing president said in a statement.
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid,” Biden added.
The strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy sources included 78 air, ground, and sea-launched missiles as well as 106 Shaheds and other types of drones, Ukraine’s air force said. It claimed to have intercepted 59 missiles and 54 drones, with 52 more drones being jammed.
