President Biden announces $5.9B in military aid for Ukraine, boosting support before leaving office as questions loom over future aid under President-elect Trump.
The United States on Monday announced nearly $6 billion in additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine as President Joe Biden uses his final weeks in office to surge aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes power.
Biden announced $2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States has made available $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to Ukraine, giving the war-torn country critical resources amid intensifying Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
"At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office," Biden said in a statement.
Biden's announcement includes $1.25 billion in military aid drawn from U.S. stockpiles and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, the final USAI package of Biden's time in office.
Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.
Yellen said in a statement the direct budget assistance, provided in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, marked the final disbursement under the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.
The U.S. Congress has approved $175 billion in total assistance for Ukraine since Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Recently the Russians have been using North Korean troops to bolster their fighting position.
North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties on the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine, with 1,000 of their troops killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
Biden said the new assistance will provide Ukraine with "an immediate influx of capabilities that it continues to use to great effect on the battlefield and longer-term supplies of air defense, artillery, and other critical weapons systems."
Nearly three years into the war, Washington has committed billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, but it is uncertain if the aid will continue at that pace under Trump, who succeeds Biden on Jan. 20.
Trump has said he wants to bring the war to a swift end.
During the presidential campaign, Trump questioned the level of U.S. involvement in the conflict, suggesting European allies should bear more of the financial burden.
Some of his fellow Republicans - who will control both the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month - have also cooled on sending more aid to Kyiv.
A U.S. official said the $3.4 billion in budget funding brings the total in U.S. budget aid to Ukraine to just over $30 billion since Russia's invasion in February 2022. Most of those funds are used to keep Ukraine's government running by paying salaries to teachers and other state employees.
Washington has separately provided approximately $61.4 billion in security assistance to Kyiv since the start of the war, according to the Pentagon.
Biden said the Defense Department is in the process of delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles "which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter."
Yellen said continued economic aid for Ukraine was crucial to allow it to maintain government services and continue to defend its sovereignty, warning against moves to cut funding.
"Ukraine’s success is in America’s core national interest," she said, vowing to continue to pressure Moscow with sanctions and to help position Ukraine to achieve a just peace.
"We must not retreat in this effort."
Following the announcement of the extension of the Canada-led NATO mission in Latvia, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said that cooperation withi...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Türkiye, Gulf states or European nations could host potential talks with Russian Preside...
Space X will attempt to launch its super heavy booster rocket, Starship tonight after it was postponed on Monday night due to weather conditions at it...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to commence denuclearization talks with Russia and China, revisiting an issue he raised earlier as he al...
Belgium’s prime minister Bart De Wever has called for Russian assets frozen since the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine to remain in the Euroclear sec...
Talks in Malaysia between top diplomats from Russia and the United States were described by the Russian Foreign Ministry as "substantive and frank" with both sides confirming their interest in seeking peaceful solutions to international conflicts.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
Senior officials from the United States and Georgia met in Tbilisi to review bilateral relations and regional security amid ongoing diplomatic discussions.
Iran has condemned the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations as “meaningless” after Israel’s largest strike on Iranian targets, accusing Washington of backing the attack. The planned sixth round of talks faces uncertainty amid escalating tensions.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
Kuwait says oil prices will likely stay below $72 per barrel as OPEC monitors global supply trends and U.S. policy signals. The remarks come during market uncertainty fueled by new U.S. tariffs on India and possible sanctions on Russia.
Afghanistan’s interim administration on Tuesday unveiled a five-year “Development Strategy” aimed at creating jobs and promoting balanced development.
Libya’s Presidency Council chief Mohamed al-Menfi met on Tuesday in Tripoli with U.S. chargé d’affaires Jeremy Berndt to discuss ways to accelerate the country’s political process and lay the groundwork for national elections.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had removed Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position, citing allegations of mortgage fraud.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on 26 August that U.S. colleges would face serious challenges without Chinese students.
The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved a new prime minister, marking a key step in the formation of the country’s ruling coalition.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment