Joe Biden says US will send more artillery to Ukraine following call with allies

Ukraine has continued to ask for more military assistance as it continues to resist Russia in a war that has lasted nearly two months so far. US President Joe Biden said that the country would be sending more artillery to Ukraine, following his call with allies this week.

Biden told reporters Tuesday that the US will be sending more military assistance to Ukraine, following his call with allies discussing the invasion that is moving into its second month. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki earlier told reporters traveling with the US leader to New Hampshire that Washington will continue to provide more military assistance and ammunition to help Ukraine.

The US and many other countries have already imposed several sets of sanctions on Russia following its unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Following the reports of atrocities being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, Biden has already accused Russian dictator Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes and, more recently, of committing genocide in Ukraine.

In other related news, the Biden administration is launching a new review on student loans, as announced by the Education Department Tuesday.

The department says that the new review aims to correct a previous error that saw 3.6 million student loan borrowers denied credit for loan forgiveness. The new review is expected to cancel the student loan debts of around 40,000 borrowers in the country.

“Student loans were never meant to be a life sentence but it’s certainly felt that way for borrowers locked out of debt relief they’re eligible for,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement.

“Today the Department of Education will begin to remedy years of administrative failures that effectively denied the promise of loan forgiveness to certain borrowers enrolled in [income-driven repayment] plans.”

The new review also seeks to end the practice of “forbearance steering,” where student loan companies encourage borrowers to enter forbearance programs rather than an income-driven repayment plan, even when such a plan could have led to a borrower paying $0 per month.

The Education Department said it would count forbearances of over 12 consecutive months or 36 cumulative months as payments that count for eligibility for student loan forgiveness.