WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he asked the U.S. Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine after condemning Russia's Christmas Day attack against some of Ukraine's cities and its energy system.

"The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid," Biden said in a statement. Republican President-elect Donald Trump will replace Democrat Biden on Jan. 20.

Russia attacked Ukraine's energy system and some cities with cruise and ballistic missiles plus drones on Wednesday, Ukraine said. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Washington has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Rod Nickel)

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