The United States on Saturday announced a new $988 million military aid package for Ukraine in its war with Russia as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv earlier. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump’s victory in the November election cast doubt on the future of US aid for Ukraineproviding a limited window of billions of dollars in already approved aid to be given before he is sworn in next month.
The package includes drones, ammunition for HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for weapons systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The aid will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, where military equipment is purchased from the defense industry or partners rather than from American stockpiles, meaning it will not arrive immediately on the battlefield.
It follows a $725 million package announced Monday that includes a second phase of landmines and 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 US aid to Kyiv – begins his second White House term in January.
It comes again on the same day as Trump hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron after traveling to Paris to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral following its major renovation since the 2019 fire.
Details of what happened at the meeting were not yet known.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s comments raised fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of American aid and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian aggression without additional American support.
The US led the campaign for international support for Ukraine, quickly building a coalition to support Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and coordinating aid from many countries.
Ukraine’s international backers have since provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, training and other security assistance that have been critical to helping Kyiv resist Russian forces.
Last month, President Biden restrictions removed allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range weapons to penetrate deep into Russian territory, marking a significant shift in US policy in the war.
The Biden administration in November restarted the process of supplying Ukraine for controversial anti-labor mines designed to be used against people, not vehicles.
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