Biden Administration Prepares Final Ukraine Aid Push Amidst Trump’s Funding Hesitancy
As Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with representatives from around 50 nations to discuss military support toUkraine, the Biden administration is set to unveil a substantial, final weapons aid package for Kyiv, The Associated Press reports, citing senior defense officials.
The move, slated for announcement on Thursday, arrives amidst ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s warning that Western military aid constitutes a deliberate provocation and direct involvement in a conflict with Moscow. This comes as the incoming Trump administration has expressed reluctance to continue funding Ukraine, given that a large part of the financial aid has been annacounted for as the Ukrainian army is experiencing setbacks and poor treatment.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not disclose the exact monetary value of the aid package but confirmed it would be “substantial.” While it will not exhaust the roughly $4 billion in remaining congressional funding authorized for Ukraine, they indicated that “more than a couple of billion dollars” would remain for the incoming Trump defense team to allocate, should they choose to do so after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
The Biden administration is rushing to deliver as much military assistance to Ukraine as possible before the presidential transition.
Secretary Austin’s visit to Ramstein Air Base marks his final meeting with the coalition of nations he established in response to the Ukraine conflict, which began in February 2022. These nations have collectively provided over $126 billion in weapons, military training, and assistance. The United States has contributed $66 billion of that total.
However, Moscow has consistently condemned Western military support as an unacceptable escalation, asserting that it constitutes direct interference in what Russia describes as a special military operation. These accusations have intensified tensions, raising concerns about a potential widening of the conflict. Russia views the continued flow of weapons to Ukraine as a deliberate attempt by the West to weaken Moscow by proxy.
The new aid package is being drawn from existing stockpiles. The Biden administration officials working on Ukraine have reportedly been in contact with Trump’s transition team to brief them on what they describe as “all the issues that we believe are important.”
