Pentagon unveils $ 988 mn Ukraine military aid as Biden speeds assistance before Trump transition
The package provides HIMARS ammunition, unmanned aerial systems, and equipment maintenance assistance, drawing from dwindling USAI funds.
The US Department of Defense announced a $988 million security assistance package for Ukraine late on 7 December, as the Biden administration works to deliver remaining military aid before President-elect Trump’s inauguration on 20 January.
The latest package will utilize funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), nearly halving the remaining $2.21 billion available under the program.
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III detailed the package’s contents, which include rockets for HIMARS, drones, and various matériel for maintaining armored vehicles.
The Pentagon listed the contents of the package as follows:
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS); and
- Equipment, components, and spare parts to maintain, repair, and overhaul artillery systems, tanks, and armored vehicles.
Austin emphasized the international coalition supporting Ukraine, noting that he has “convened the contact group 24 times now” with approximately 50 partner nations committing over $57 billion in direct security assistance. He added that more than a dozen Ukraine Defense Contact Group members now provide more security assistance to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP than the United States.
The Defense Secretary revealed that Russia has suffered “at least 700,000 casualties” and lost more than $200 billion since launching its invasion. Austin stated that Putin’s aggression has strengthened NATO, adding that “we continue to be crystal clear that Putin’s war was not the result of NATO enlargement but the cause of NATO enlargement.”
This package marks the twenty-second USAI allocation under the Biden administration, bringing total US security assistance to Ukraine since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to more than $62 billion.
Related:
- IT Coalition raises nearly €500 million in aid for Ukraine
- Senior Biden aide promises massive military aid package to Ukraine before Trump transition
- Experts urge Trump to ramp up pressure on Putin before any peace talks
- NATO chief Rutte stresses more weapons for Ukraine, less talk on peace process
- Biden’s new $725 million Ukraine military aid package focuses on air defense, artillery
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