The United States will send nearly $2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Monday, as his administration quickly works to spend all the money it has to help Kiev fight Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The package includes $1.25 billion in presidential withdrawal authority, allowing the military to pull existing stockpiles from its shelves and get weapons to the battlefield faster. It also has $1.22 billion worth of long-range weapons packages that will be contracted through the separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI.
Biden said all long-term USAID funds have now been spent, and he seeks to fully use all remaining withdrawal funds before leaving office.
“I have directed my administration to continue providing as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war during the remainder of my term,” he added.
In addition to the arms support, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Monday that the United States is also providing $3.4 billion in economic aid to Ukraine to help pay for vital government services during its ongoing war against Russia. These funds will pay the salaries of civilian government employees, school employees, health care workers and first responders.
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The new military aid comes as Russia launched a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent days, although Ukraine said it had intercepted a large number of missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are still locked in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, with Moscow sending thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory seized by Ukraine.
The Biden administration is pushing for weapons to be brought into Ukraine to give Kiev the strongest possible negotiating position before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Trump talked about reaching some kind of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many American and European leaders are concerned that Trump’s talk of compromise could lead to a bad deal for Ukraine, and worry that he will not provide Ukraine with all the arms funding approved by Congress.
Weapon systems being withdrawn from existing stocks through this latest weapons package include anti-drone air systems munitions, air defense munitions, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) munitions, 155mm and 105mm artillery munitions, and air-to-air munitions. Land, anti-aircraft ammunition. – Armor systems, tube missiles, fission bombs and other items and spare parts.
Including Monday’s announcement, the United States has provided more than $65 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
