Biden administration announces its final military aid package for Ukraine before leaving office

The Biden administration has announced the final tranche of military aid it will send to Ukraine, amounting to about $500 million, reported from CNN.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to detail the figure at the last meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The last package comes as the White House prepares to announce another round of sanctions on Russia, expected at the end of this week. US officials have argued they are trying to give Ukraine the greatest leverage possible ahead of possible negotiations to end the war this year. There had been an expectation the White House could impose more sanctions on Russia before the looming inauguration and amid persistent Ukrainian pressure.

The security aid announced Thursday under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) has an estimated value of $500 million and includes missiles for air defense, air-to-ground munitions and equipment for Ukraine’s use of F-16 fighter jets.

Stocks of weaponry and ammunition in Ukraine are stable for now, US officials say, while the US believes there are severe Ukrainian manpower issues. All of the remaining money that has been appropriated by Congress for Ukraine is expected to be provided. That does not mean, however, that all of the Presidential Drawdown Authority for Ukraine will be used by the time President Joe Biden leaves office.

Biden had been set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in Rome for what was likely to be their final meeting, but the White House announced late Wednesday night that it was canceling the trip to focus on the wildfires raging in California.

The Biden-Zelensky meeting would’ve been just over a month before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the administration is keen to highlight US support for Ukraine in Biden’s remaining time in office. Administration officials argue that both the US and Ukrainian administrations anticipated that there could be negotiations with Moscow in the first part of 2025 – regardless of who won the US elections – and their goal was to further empower Ukraine ahead of potential talks.

Earlier Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News that he hopes to have a "solvable solution” between the two sides within 100 days of Trump taking office.

US officials say the sanctions the US has imposed on Russia have contributed to a significant weakening of the Russian economy – with current soaring inflation and interest rates and Russia’s diminishing ability to compete economically in the long term. The latest sanctions that are expected to be announced, whose targets are unclear, are being discussed – but not coordinated – with incoming Trump officials even though the next administration would be charged with enforcing them.

The Biden administration has given Ukraine more than $65 billion in aid since the war began in late February 2022.

www.anews.az