Biden prepares final $1.2 billion aid package for Ukraine as Trump says Kyiv to likely receive less US aid once he takes office

The package is expected to include air defense systems and artillery munitions.

Dec 21, 2024 - 03:00

Biden prepares final $1.2 billion aid package for Ukraine as Trump says Kyiv to likely receive less US aid once he takes office

The White House in Washington DC, illustrative image: Wikimedia Commons.

The Biden administration is set to announce a final aid package for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in the coming days, using the remaining funds allocated for purchasing weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters reports citing its sources.

The USAI package could be one of the last steps the US takes in providing direct military support to Ukraine, as newly elected President Donald Trump has publicly hinted at the decline of military aid to Kyiv and promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office on 20 January.

According to sources, the package will include air defense systems and artillery munitions, though the exact contents are still under discussion. The total cost of the package is estimated at $1.2 billion.

Under the USAI program, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners rather than taken from US stockpiles, meaning its delivery to the battlefield could take months.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, the US has provided $175 billion in support to Kyiv. Of this, approximately $61.4 billion has been allocated for security assistance, nearly half of which was delivered through the USAI program.

Previously, reports said that Ukrainian forces were allegedly decimating North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast with US-made cluster shells, likely Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM).

North Korean troops likely suffered hundreds of casualties due to the use of these cluster shells, which release 88 submunitions.

Forbes: Ukraine’s artillery decimates North Korean troops with US cluster munitions

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