Washington — The United States is gearing towards announcing that it will dispatch $1.25b in military support to Ukraine, said US officials on Friday, as the Biden dispensation aims to supply as much help to Kyiv before the end of its term on January 20.
Anything from food to military hardware is included in the large package of aid such as for the NASAMS and HAWK air defense system. It will also offer Stinger missiles and 155 mm and 105 mm artillery shells, according to these officials.
Several officials who said they expected the announcement to be made on Monday said this in interviews where they gave information yet to be released to the public.
The new aid comes at a time when Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure and in recent days launched waves of attacks against them, although Ukraine claims that it shot down a large part of the missiles and drones.
It also continued fighting with Russian and Ukrainian forces around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has deployed thousands of North Korean soldiers in order to regain land occupied by Ukraine.
Last week, top defense officials said that the Pentagon may not be able to move all the remaining $5.6 billion of congressional appropriation for weapons and equipment to Ukraine before Trump assumes office.
Trump has discussed his desire to achieve some form of deal between Ukraine and Russia, as well as mentioned his interactions with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. P.internal Many US and European leaders are concerned that might lead to a bad deal for Ukraine, and they also fear that he can give Ukraine all the weapons that have been funded by the congress.
In the new package, the assistance is in presidential drawdown authority, which means that the Pentagon can take weapons off the shelf and send them rapidly to Ukraine. The Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20.
The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said.
The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.
The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine.
Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.
Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that this might result in a poor deal for Ukraine, and they worry that he won’t provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress.
The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine.
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