New help for Ukraine will be announced on Thursday, Biden says

US President makes announcement on sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House in December 2022. AP

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US President Joe Biden on Wednesday vowed to support Kyiv “now and in the future” as G7 leaders pledged to underwrite Ukraine's postwar recovery and rebuilding.

Mr Biden said on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York that the US would announce action to accelerate support for Ukraine's military on Thursday.

“I'm determined to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to prevail and fight for survival,” he said at an event. “We know Ukraine's future victory is about more than what happens on the battlefield. It's also about what Ukrainians do to make the most of a free and independent future.”

G7 leaders declared “unwavering support for Ukraine today and in the future, in war and in peace".

“We remain determined to provide military, budget, humanitarian and reconstruction support to Ukraine and its people, and are strongly committed to helping Ukraine meet its urgent short-term financing needs and to assisting with Ukraine’s long-term recovery and reconstruction,” a joint statement read.

The group said the collective push to back Ukraine's reconstruction will ensure Russia fails “to subjugate Ukraine”, and postwar Kyiv would instead emerge with a “modernised, vibrant, inclusive society and innovative economy" that is resilient to Russian threats.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likened the effort to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after the Second World War.

“We are laying the foundation for a similar architecture of recovery,” Mr Zelenskyy said at the event.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would pledge €34 billion ($45.3 billion), to be paid from profits from frozen Russian assets.

“In other words, it is Russia that will pay for the damages it's caused,” Ms von der Leyen said.

In North Carolina, meanwhile, former president Donald Trump described Ukraine bleakly, referring to its people as “dead” and the country as “demolished". His comments raise new questions about whether he would support Ukraine if he wins the November 5 election.

Mr Trump said Ukraine should have made concessions to Moscow before Russia's February 2022 attack, declaring that even “the worst deal would’ve been better than what we have now".

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Zelenskyy addressed the UN General Assembly and urged nations to seek “real, just peace”, instead of “a lull” in fighting.

He said there is no alternative to the “peace formula” first presented two years ago, which calls for the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine, the release of prisoners and accountability for war crimes.

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would never accept an externally imposed deal, and questioned China's and Brazil's motives in pushing for talks with Russia.

“Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are, in fact, efforts to achieve a lull instead of an end to the war,” Mr Zelenskyy said.

Mr Zelenskyy is due to meet Mr Biden at the White House on Thursday, where he is expected to present the US with a “victory plan”. He is also scheduled to meet Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the November 5 election.

The plan's details are yet to be made public but Ukrainian officials have said it has political, military, diplomatic and economic components, and will ask western allies to pressure Russia to reach a negotiated settlement.

It will also request more weapons and repeat demands for Ukraine to join Nato.

Washington is reportedly expected to announce a $375 million military aid package for Ukraine this week. That package, the largest since May, would include medium-range cluster bombs, as well as rockets, artillery and armoured vehicles.