By TARA COPP, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden mentioned Monday that america will ship practically $2.5 billion extra in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works rapidly to spend all the cash it has obtainable to assist Kyiv battle off Russia earlier than President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace.
The bundle contains $1.25 billion in presidential drawdown authority, which permits the navy to tug present inventory from its cabinets and will get weapons to the battlefield quicker. It additionally has $1.22 billion in longer-term weapons packages to be placed on contract by means of the separate Ukraine Safety Help Initiative, or USAI.
Biden mentioned all longer-term USAI funds have now been spent and pledged to make use of all of the remaining drawdown cash earlier than leaving workplace.
“I’ve directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden mentioned in an announcement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.”
The brand new help comes as Russia has launched a barrage of assaults towards Ukraine’s energy amenities in latest days, though Ukraine has mentioned it intercepted a major variety of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are additionally nonetheless in a bitter battle across the Russian border area of Kursk, the place Moscow has despatched hundreds of North Korean troops to assist reclaim territory taken by Ukraine.
The Biden administration is pushing to get weapons into Ukraine to present Kyiv the strongest negotiating place attainable earlier than Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump has talked about getting some kind of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many U.S. and European leaders are involved that Trump’s discuss of a settlement would possibly end in a poor deal for Ukraine, they usually fear that he gained’t present Ukraine with all of the weapons funding authorized by Congress.
The weapons methods being pulled from present stockpiles by means of this newest weapons bundle embrace counter-unmanned aerial methods munitions, air protection munitions, ammunition for Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket Methods (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, air-to-ground munitions, anti-armor methods, tube-launched missiles, fragmentation grenades, and different objects and spare elements.
Together with Monday’s announcement, the U.S. has supplied greater than $65 billion in safety help to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
