Biden administration provides additional $1 billion in arms aid to Ukraine

(CLO) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US will provide nearly $1 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration is rushing to use up the aid budget for Kiev before Donald Trump takes office next month.

The new aid package will include drones and ammunition to complement the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that the US has already provided to Ukraine. While these weapons are needed immediately, they will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is intended for long-term arms contracts.

These weapons systems are primarily intended to bolster Ukraine's long-term military capabilities rather than create immediate changes on the battlefield.

The $988 million aid package comes on the heels of the $725 million in military assistance announced by the U.S. on December 2. The $725 million will be drawn from the Pentagon’s reserve and will be sent to Ukraine quickly, including anti-drone systems and HIMARS ammunition.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, the US has provided more than $62 billion in military aid to Ukraine.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at a meeting at the Pentagon on December 5. Photo: AP

"The baton will soon be passed to others," Secretary Austin said in a statement on December 7. "They will decide the direction of travel, and I hope they will build on the strength we have built over the past four years."

Ukraine is currently facing a fierce offensive from Russia. Moscow has also launched medium-range missile strikes and continues to target Kiev's civilian infrastructure.

With concerns about whether Mr. Trump would maintain military support for Ukraine, the Biden administration has been trying to use up remaining funds from a massive foreign aid bill passed by Congress earlier this year to provide aid to Ukraine.

“This administration has made its choice, and so has a bipartisan coalition in Congress. The next administration will have to make its own choice,” Austin said at an annual gathering of national security officials, defense companies and lawmakers in California.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump held a hasty meeting over the weekend with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Macron and other European leaders are trying to convince Trump to continue supporting Ukraine.

Under Mr. Austin’s leadership, the Pentagon initiated regular meetings with more than 50 participating countries, aiming to send millions of rounds of ammunition and advanced weapons to Ukraine.

Mr. Austin emphasized that "the United States and its allies have become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy." Before the announcement on December 7, the United States had about $8 billion left to withdraw weapons from its stockpile and sign additional contracts to buy weapons to support Ukraine.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chinh-quyen-ong-biden-tang-toc-giai-ngan-cap-them-1-ty-usd-vien-tro-vu-khi-cho-ukraine-post324661.html