In a final push to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion, President Joe Biden’s administration announced an additional $988 million in military aid for the war-torn country. This comes on top of a previous $725 million aid package announced earlier in December. The aid includes drones and munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, among other supplies. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, the US has provided a total of $62 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
As Biden’s term comes to an end and President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, there are concerns about the future of US support for Ukraine. Trump has previously threatened to pull funding from Ukraine and other military alliances like NATO. However, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized the bipartisan congressional support for aid to Ukraine and urged the next administration to make its own decisions.
While in Paris, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and criticized him for securing military aid from the US. Trump accused Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of entangling the US in Ukrainian affairs and vowed to settle the war in Ukraine if re-elected. He reiterated his “America First” policy and his intention to disengage the US from conflicts like the one in Ukraine.
As tensions with Russia continue to simmer, the fate of Ukraine and the level of support it will receive from the US under the new administration remain uncertain. Biden’s last-minute aid package underscores the ongoing importance of US support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression.
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