President Joe Biden speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia, on March 11, 2022;President Volodymyr Zelensky  speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2022. (AP/Patrick Semansky; Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)
President Joe Biden speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia, on March 11, 2022;President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2022. (AP/Patrick Semansky; Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

After Russian missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital and other places, US Vice President Joe Biden pledged on Monday to provide Ukraine with modern air defense systems, according to a statement from the White House.

Biden talked with President Volodymyr Zelensky and "committed to continuing to provide Ukraine with the defense support it requires, including advanced air defense systems," according to a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed further "severe" assaults on Ukraine in retaliation for an explosion that damaged a critical bridge connecting Russia to the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula, which killed at least eleven.

Following his conversation with Vice President Biden, Zelensky stated that "air defense is currently the top priority for our defense cooperation."

Kyiv stated that the Russian military had fired more than eighty missiles against Ukrainian cities and that Russia had also employed Iranian drones launched from Belarus.

The White House stated that Biden "expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks."

"He also emphasized his ongoing collaboration with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia and holding the country accountable for its war crimes and atrocities."