WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is set to announce it will send $1.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine as the Biden administration looks to get as much aid as possible to Kyiv before leaving office on Jan. 20. US officials announced on Friday. .
This large aid package includes significant amounts of military supplies, including for the nation’s advanced surface-to-air missile system and Hawk air defense system. Officials said Stinger missiles and 155-millimeter and 105-millimeter artillery shells will also be provided.
The officials said they expected an announcement Monday and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not yet been made public.
The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian power facilities in recent days, with Ukraine saying it has intercepted a significant number of missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also continuing fierce fighting around the Russian border region of Kursk, with Moscow sending thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory occupied by Ukraine.
Earlier this month, senior defense officials announced that the Pentagon may not be able to transfer to Ukraine the entire remaining $5.6 billion in weapons and equipment inventory passed by Congress by the time President-elect Donald Trump takes office. I admitted it.
President Trump talked about reaching some sort of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and also talked about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that this could lead to a deal that is disadvantageous to Ukraine, and that he will not provide Ukraine with all of the arms funding that Congress has approved.
The new package of aid falls under the president’s drawdown authority, allowing the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelf and quickly send them to Ukraine. With this latest aid, the remaining amount will be reduced to approximately $4.35 billion.
Officials said they hope the large amount of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand if President Zelenskiy decides the time is right for negotiations.
A senior defense official said the United States will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until January 20, but there may be funds left over for the incoming Trump administration to use.
There also remains about $1.2 billion in long-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which will be used to pay for arms contracts that will not be delivered for more than a year, according to the Pentagon. Officials said the administration plans to release all of that funding by the end of the year.
If the new package is included, the U.S. will have provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
