WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden announced US$2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine on Monday (Dec 30) as he uses his final weeks in office to surge military aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes power.
“At my direction, the US 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 US$1.25 billion in military aid drawn from US stockpiles and a US$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 defence industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching the three-year mark and recently the Russians have used 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 told reporters on Friday.
In a statement, 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 defence, artillery, and other critical weapons systems”.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov hailed the fresh aid package in a post on social media.
“The US is a key ally of Ukraine, providing us with invaluable assistance. Together, we will win,” he wrote.
Source: CNA
