Ukraine will get $5.9 billion in military and other aid from the US

In an effort to boost aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, President Joe Biden used his last weeks in office to announce roughly $6 billion in increased military and fiscal assistance for Ukraine on Monday.

Biden declared that Ukraine would get an additional $2.5 billion in security assistance. According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the United States has provided Ukraine with an additional $3.4 billion in fiscal help, providing the war-torn nation with vital resources as Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians escalate.

“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,” Biden stated in a press release.

In addition to a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, the last USAI package of Biden’s tenure in office, Biden’s announcement includes $1.25 billion in military assistance taken from U.S. stocks.

It may take months or even years for military hardware to reach the battlefield under USAI because it is purchased from partners or the defense sector rather than American stockpiles.

As the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine draws near, the Russians have recently bolstered their fighting posture with North Korean troops.

White House spokesman John Kirby said Friday that North Korean forces are suffering heavy losses on the front lines of Russia’s battle against Ukraine, with 1,000 of its soldiers killed or injured in the Kursk region of Russia in the past week alone.

Ukraine will receive “an immediate influx of capabilities that it continues to use to great effect on the battlefield and longer-term supplies of air defense, artillery, and other critical weapons systems” as a result of the extra help, according to Biden.

Washington has pledged billions of dollars in help for Ukraine nearly three years into the conflict, but it is unclear if the money would continue at that rate under Trump, who takes Biden’s place on January 20. Trump has stated that he wants the battle to end quickly.

Trump questioned the extent of American involvement in the war during the presidential campaign, arguing that European allies need to foot a larger portion of the bill.

His fellow Republicans, who will take control of the Senate and House of Representatives beginning next month, have also been less enthusiastic about providing additional aid to Kyiv.

In a statement, Yellen said the direct financial support was the last payment made under the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and was given in cooperation with the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The money raises the entire amount of U.S. fiscal aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 to slightly over $30 billion, according to a U.S. official.

The majority of those monies are used to pay teachers’ and other public employees’ wages, which keeps Ukraine’s government operating.

The Pentagon estimates that since the beginning of the war, Washington has independently given Kyiv some $61.4 billion in security aid.

Thousands of rockets, hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, and hundreds of armored vehicles are currently being delivered by the Defense Department, according to Biden, “which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter.”

Yellen cautioned against attempts to reduce financing, saying that Ukraine needs to continue receiving economic assistance in order to preserve government services and safeguard its sovereignty.

She declared, “Ukraine’s success is in America’s core national interest,” promising to keep putting sanctions on Moscow and to assist Ukraine in achieving a fair settlement.

“We must not retreat in this effort.”