President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
According to a readout of the call from the White House, Biden and Zelenskyy discussed security requests by Ukraine and the effect the weapons are having on the battlefield.
"In addition, President Biden informed President Zelenskyy that the United States intends to provide the Ukrainian government with $500 million in direct budgetary aid," the White House said.
The White House said Zelenskyy updated Biden on the status of Ukraine’s negotiations with Russia, but no specifics were made public.
Russia said Tuesday it planned to scale back operations in areas near Kyiv. However, The Associated Press reports that Russia bombarded areas around Kyiv Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials claim Russia hit areas where civilians could be staying, including homes, stores and libraries.
