Image Credit: MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images 
Joe Biden has authorized the release of $350million of military assistance to Ukraine after taking his latest weekend break to Delaware as Russian troops began to invade Kyiv.
The president’s handouts, shared on Friday evening, stipulated that $350million is made available to Ukraine ‘in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown.’
A further $250million will be offered ‘in assistance without regard to any provision of law’.
Biden offered the cash as Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky revealed he’d snubbed a US offer of evacuation from war-town Kyiv, as Vladimir Putin reportedly dispatched kidnap squads to abduct or kill him.
Zelensky said: ‘The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.’ He spoke as Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed 3,500 Russian troops during a bloody night of combat across the European state, which saw street battles begin to erupt on the streets of Kyiv.
Russia has yet to capture the capital, as reports suggested the Kremlin’s advance was going more slowly than anticipated.
On Friday night, Biden traveled home to Delaware for a weekend break as Ukraine burns after Russia invaded and the United States was condemned for appearing weak.
The president and First Lady Jill Biden were snapped exiting the White House on Friday evening to board their Marine One helicopter as Europe faces its biggest conflict since World War Two.
President Biden, 79, and First Lady Biden, 70, donned their customary face masks, even though both are vaccinated and boosted, and the CDC itself has indicated that the time to lift almost all mandates has come.
Biden has access to technology that allows him to work from his luxury home in Rehoboth Beach, and will be following the latest developments in Ukraine from there.