The Pentagon is buying laser-guided rockets and drones for Ukraine’s military, a U.S. defense official said Friday, while the United States will also send an additional $150 million worth of weapons and equipment suited for the open terrain of Donbas. President Biden the same day urged lawmakers to approve additional funding that would “strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.” The president will sign the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act — which speeds up the process of sending aid to Ukraine — on Monday, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat, and a day of portentous significance in Russia. 

The fresh aid comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Kyiv’s conditions for serious peace talks with Russia: the restoration of Ukraine’s territories before the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion; the return of more than 5 million refugees; membership in the European Union; and accountability from Russian military officials for atrocities.

Those objectives run counter to the military goals stated by Russia as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky said diplomatic efforts are still underway to free Ukrainian fighters are still holding out at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, the port city that has weathered weeks of Russian shelling. Fifty civilians were evacuated from the plant Friday despite Russian cease-fire violations, Kyiv said.