With just 24 days left in office, the Biden administration is set to announce an additional $1.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine, according to the Associated Press, citing U.S. officials.
The Biden administration aims to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russia before President Biden leaves office on Jan. 20, according to AP. The package earmarks resources for munitions, enhancing Ukraine’s air defense capabilities with National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and HAWK systems that also include Stinger missiles along with 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, said officials who requested anonymity ahead of a public announcement scheduled for Monday.
Earlier in December, senior defense officials said that the Pentagon might struggle to dispatch the entire $5.6 billion in weapons and equipment previously authorized by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, the AP said. The upcoming aid is designated through presidential drawdown authority, enabling the Pentagon to expedite weapon transfers.
TRUMP: “I refuse to bend the knee to their next endless war in Ukraine. I want peace. They want money, and they want conflict.
Even if it means walking us to the brink of WWIII.” pic.twitter.com/2RhsKKNq5i
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 16, 2023
This batch of assistance will leave approximately $4.35 billion of the allocated funds yet to be dispatched, the AP reported. The Pentagon also reported about $1.2 billion in additional and longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, intended for contracts extending over a year or more.
This fund is expected to be fully allocated by the end of the year. With this package, total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine will exceed $64 billion since the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to the AP.
This is in addition to the $20 billion massive loan the U.S. Treasury Department transferred to Ukraine earlier this month. The amount includes contributions from Britain, Canada and Japan, using frozen Russian sovereign assets.
While the Biden administration continues to fund Ukraine’s defense, Trump expressed interest in ending the war altogether. During a phone call at the European Council summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Trump committed to fast-tracking the pursuit of a “fair, just, and sustainable peace” in Ukraine.
Trump previously commented on the Ukraine war and described it as one of the most severe conflicts since World War II. He said he’s committed to ending the “horrible” war between Ukraine and Russia.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
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