US President Joe Biden will speak with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on Thursday to inform him of the US arms shipment and congratulate him on Ukraine’s Independence Day, according to the White House.

John Kirby, communications coordinator for the National Security Council, said the US would continue to “unite the free world” and “attract allies and partners” to support Ukraine as the Russian invasion reached the six-month mark. .

He assured that a phone call between Biden and Zelensky would reaffirm that commitment.

“The president is looking forward to it,” Kirby said, saying there were no travel plans to discuss Biden visiting Kyiv. He points out that if “the trip makes sense”, it will be considered.

Biden today announced a nearly $3 billion security aid package for Ukraine.

Warning of a possible next step in Russia’s invasion, Kirby said the United States had information indicating Russia was preparing to hold a “false referendum” in parts of Ukraine, possibly within days.

He said the announcement could come before the end of the week. Potential areas where the referendum could take place include Kherson and Zaporizhia, along with Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

“The United States and the international community have made clear that any attempt to control the sovereign territory of Ukraine will not be considered legitimate,” Kirby said.

He pointed out that the United States expected Russia to manipulate the results of the vote and falsely claimed that the Ukrainian people wanted to join Russia.

“It’s very important to denounce and fight this misinformation in real time,” he said.

He added that US data showed that Russian officials were concerned about low voter turnout in the upcoming polls.