President Biden is leveraging the final weeks of his term to bolster support for Ukraine and strengthen its position ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration taking office.
On December 30, 2024, President Biden announced an additional $6 billion financial and military aid package for Ukraine, with less than three weeks left in his presidency.
The package includes nearly $1.25 billion in military assistance sourced from U.S. stockpiles and $1.22 billion under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), where weapons will be purchased from manufacturers for Ukraine. The remaining $3.4 billion will come from the U.S. Treasury as direct budget support for Ukraine.
"The Department of Defense is delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles to strengthen Ukraine before winter. Under my direction, the U.S. will continue to fortify Ukraine’s position in this conflict during my remaining time in office," Biden stated.
President Biden is set to leave the White House on January 20, when Donald Trump will be sworn in. Observers speculate that Biden's departure may signal the end of the robust U.S. commitment to aiding Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. During his campaign, Trump made bold promises to end the Ukraine conflict, though specifics of his plans remain scarce.
In June, Trump’s advisors suggested he might be open to increasing military aid to Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to peace talks with Moscow. The advisors envision negotiations potentially involving Ukraine ceding territories currently under Russian control.
Following Trump’s reelection in November, Kyiv and its European allies grew concerned that the incoming administration might pressure Ukraine more than Russia to reach a ceasefire. Russian media, meanwhile, expressed optimism about Trump's cabinet choices, including Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chair of the Government Operations Effectiveness Board, and Tulsi Gabbard, a nominee for director of national intelligence.
Fearing that the incoming administration might jeopardize U.S. support for Ukraine, Biden has used his remaining weeks in office to ramp up aid deliveries to Kyiv.
On December 2, the U.S. announced a $725 million military aid package for Ukraine, including ammunition, surface-to-air missile systems, and other equipment. This was followed by a $988 million package on December 7, comprising drones and HIMARS ammunition. On December 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced another $500 million package with HIMARS ammunition, drones, and armored vehicles.
Since August 2022, Biden's administration has invoked Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) 55 times to provide aid to Ukraine. Including the December 30 package, U.S. security assistance for Ukraine since the conflict began totals $65 billion.
Recently, the Biden administration removed restrictions on certain weapons, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the U.S. to target military objectives deeper inside Russian territory. This marks a shift from previous concerns that such actions might provoke Russia and escalate the conflict.
Biden and senior advisors believe that these efforts, combined with robust European support, will provide Ukraine with the necessary strength to sustain the conflict beyond Biden’s presidency.
"President Biden is aiming to position Ukraine as strongly as possible," said Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor.
Analysts at The Washington Post note that the future of U.S. security assistance, as Ukraine’s primary donor, remains uncertain after Trump’s inauguration. Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and key ally Elon Musk have all expressed skepticism about continuing aid to Kyiv.
During a campaign rally in Georgia in September, Trump complained, "Every time President Zelensky visits the U.S., he gets $100 billion."
"We’ll be stuck in this war unless I’m president," he remarked.
With Ukraine's future support in question, Keir Giles, a senior fellow at Chatham House in the UK, suggests Biden is striving to do as much as possible before leaving office, knowing Kyiv will "face far more pressure than Moscow" under Trump’s administration.
(Sources: New Republic, Al Jazeera, Washington Post)
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