US pledges $500m to Ukraine in final military aid package before Trump’s inauguration
- 10 January, 09:17
Biden administration has given its final military aid to Ukraine, unveiling a $500m weapons package, days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump who has threatened to suspend support for Ukraine.
The new military aid package that includes air defense missiles and F-16 fighter jet equipment, was announced at what seems to be the final Ukraine Defense Contact Group summit at Germany’s Ramstein air base on Thursday. “Here is the fundamental truth: Ukraine’s fight matters to all of us… Putin’s war is a challenge to free people everywhere,” the outgoing US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said while unveiling the military aid bundle.
The new aid package is part of the White House strategy revealed in December to strengthen Kyiv’s position before Trump’s inauguration. The strategy includes the training of Ukrainian troops and a $20bn loan backed by frozen Russian assets. Around $3.8 billion for the presidential drawdown authority (PDA) program remains unused, leaving it uncertain whether Donald Trump will use the remaining funds to aid Ukraine. The one-on-one meeting between Zelenskiy and Biden, planned for Friday in Italy, was cancelled due to deadly wildfires in California.
Ukraine’s Western allies also unveiled $2 billion in military aid bundle to Ukraine during the 57-nation Ukraine Defence Contract group summit in Ramstein. The Western coalition that was set up in April 2022 to coordinate international support for Ukraine, has channeled over $125bn in military assistant to Kyiv. It should be noted that Ukraine faces severe manpower shortage in the battlefield amid Russia’s relentless attacks in eastern Ukraine.
