United States President Joe Biden has announced that his administration will send nearly $2.5bn in military assistance to Ukraine, as the president rushes aid to the war-torn country before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
Trump’s November election victory has cast doubt on the future of American support for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be disbursed before he is sworn in next month.
Monday’s aid includes a $1.25 billion military “drawdown package”, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from US stocks and send them quickly to the battlefield.
The new round of assistance, announced on Monday, includes $1.25bn derived from presidential drawdown authority, which allows Biden to withdraw materials from US military supplies without the need for congressional approval.
Another $1.22bn comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a programme run through the Department of Defense and funded by congressional appropriations.
In addition to the military aid, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen also unveiled $3.4bn in economic assistance on Monday to help Ukraine’s government and prop up its infrastructure.
“I’ve directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden said in a statement. “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.”