USA to provide Ukraine with $500 mln in military aid in Biden administration's final tranche
The final package of military aid to Ukraine from U.S. President Joseph Biden's administration will be about $500 million, Voice of America correspondent Carla Babb said.
"The US is providing Ukraine with about $500 million in security aid, its final security package under President Biden, as Austin meets with Ukrainian Defense Minister Umerov today and hosts its final UDCG with about 50 allies and partners tomorrow," Babb said on X social media on Wednesday.
The Associated Press, citing its own sources, also reported that Washington plans to announce the allocation of $500 million in weapons and ammunition to Kyiv on Thursday during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The issue concerns the transfer of weapons from American arsenals, not the production of new weapons. A source familiar with the situation said that the United States wants to deliver this batch of weapons to Ukraine by the end of January.
According to the Voice of America, approximately $3.8 billion left over from the funding for Ukraine authorized by Congress will thus remain unused, despite the White House's promises to spend the entire amount by the end of Biden's term, and will be transferred to the administration of new U.S. President Donald Trump.
Earlier, the Associated Press, citing two senior officials in the presidential administration whose names were not disclosed, reported that the package would not include all the funds authorized by Congress, but it will be significant. The incoming Trump defense team will likely have more than $2 billion left over that it could provide to Ukraine if it chooses to do so, according to the statement.
Earlier, it was reported that at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is leaving for Germany on Wednesday, intends to discuss issues of long-term and ongoing assistance to Kyiv.
A meeting on support for Ukraine in the Ramstein format is announced for January 9. Trump's inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
On December 30, the United States announced a defense aid package for Ukraine worth almost $2.5 billion.
