White House announces nearly $1 billion more in military assistance to Ukraine
The U.S. on Saturday announced a new $988 million military assistance package for Ukraine in its war with Russia as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump’s victory in the November election has cast doubt on the future of U.S. aid for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be provided before he is sworn in next month.
The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The aid will be funded via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it will not immediately arrive on the battlefield.
It follows a $725 million package announced on Monday that included a second tranche of landmines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons.
The outgoing Biden administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump — who has repeatedly criticized U.S. assistance for Kyiv — begins his second White House term in January.
It also comes on the same day that Trump held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron after he traveled to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following its extensive renovation from the 2019 fire.
Details of what transpired in the meeting were not immediately known.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of U.S. aid and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support.
The U.S. has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging a coalition to back Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
Ukraine’s international supporters have since then provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, training and other security aid that has been key to helping Kyiv resist Russian forces.
Last month, President Biden lifted restrictions that allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, marking a significant U.S. policy shift in the war.
The Biden administration in November also began the process of supplying Ukraine with controversial anti-personnel mines that are designed to be used against people, not vehicles.
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Source: cbsnews.com