Zelensky holds phone calls with U.S. House speaker, Senate’s Republican, Democrat leaders

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had phone conversations with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

That's according to the President's Office, Ukrinform reports.

The head of state thanked each of them for their personal leadership, representatives of both parties and President Joseph Biden for passing the law on assistance to Ukraine, and the American people – for their support.

Volodymyr Zelensky briefed his interlocutors on the latest battlefield developments, Russian attacks on civil infrastructure, and the need to bolster air defenses, including with more Patriot systems.

The president emphasized the importance of sending defense packages to Ukraine as soon as possible. He specifically highlighted the inclusion of long-range ATACMS systems in the law, which are urgently needed by Ukraine’s defenders.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed off the law on supplemental national security funding, which includes, among other things, $60 billion in support for Ukraine. Later, the U.S. State Department announced the allocation of a $1 billion defense assistance package for Ukraine.

The package of defense support for Ukraine includes RIM-7 missiles for air defense systems, Stinger missiles, ammunition for HIMARS, NATO-standard artillery rounds, Bradley SFVs, as well as other armaments and spare parts for the equipment supplied earlier.