The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved new $12 billion in economic and military aid to Ukraine as part of a federal budget extension through December to avoid paralysis of public services.

A Russian rocket hit a shopping mall, killing 10 people in Ukraine – Photo: STR Ukraine EMERCOM Press Office/AFP/ND

The budget extension was agreed by bipartisan senators as a temporary measure and will allow the government to continue functioning until December, but before that it must be approved by the House of Representatives before the end of the week.

The measure includes $3 billion for weapons, supplies and salaries for the Ukrainian army.

He also provides Kyiv with $4.5 billion to keep the government running and the country’s finances stable.

The announcement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to announce the annexation of parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops.

“Seven months into the conflict, it is clear that American assistance has done much to help the Ukrainian people resist Putin’s vicious and brutal aggression,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“But the fight is far from over, and we must continue to help the courageous ‘Ukrainian people’,” he added.

The aid to Ukraine is part of a federal budget extension that expires at the end of the current fiscal year on September 30, as the parties failed to reach an agreement in Congress for the entire fiscal year 2022-23.

Biden says US will ‘never, never, never’ recognize pro-Russian referendums in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden vowed on Thursday that he would “never, never, never” recognize the results of “Russia-sponsored” referendums in Ukraine, which he called a “blatant violation” of international principles.

“I want to be very clear about this. The United States will never, never, never recognize Russia’s claim to sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Biden said at a meeting in Washington with Pacific Island leaders.

“The so-called referendums were a farce, an absolute farce. The results were agreed in Moscow,” he said.

“The true will of the Ukrainian people is shown every day when they sacrifice their lives to save their people and preserve the independence of their country,” he added.

“Russian aggression against Ukraine in pursuit of Putin’s imperial ambitions is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Kremlin, the annexation of four parts of Ukraine will be officially announced this Friday with a speech by Putin.

The President of Russia made veiled threats to use nuclear weapons to protect the territories.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken previously commented in a statement on the annexation referendums, calling them “a new attempt at land grabs in Ukraine.”