Despite gloomy weather, Ukrainians in the capital Kyiv were cheerful and cautiously optimistic on Sunday after their biggest ally Washington approved US$61 billion in new war-time aid.
The package, which the US House of Representatives passed Saturday after months of infighting, comes as Ukrainian forces face a critical shortage of munitions on the battlefield and air defences to protect civilians.
"It's finally happened," said 50-year-old nurse Oksana.
"We're really looking forward to it. It will help a lot," she added. "The most important thing is to have something to defend ourselves with. Both civilians and our guys."
Washington is Kyiv's leading financial and military backer, delivering much of the hardware it uses on the battlefield.
The bill passed Saturday would provide Ukraine with nearly $14 billion to train, equip and finance the needs of its army.
