[The Biden administration has announced a final tranche of military aid to Ukraine, valued at approximately $500 million. The aid package includes missiles for air defense, air-to-ground munitions, and equipment for Ukraine’s use of F-16 fighter jets. This announcement comes as the White House prepares to impose another round of sanctions on Russia, expected at the end of the week.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin detailed the figure at the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The security aid is being provided under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which has an estimated value of $500 million.
Stocks of weaponry and ammunition in Ukraine are stable for now, according to US officials, while the US believes there are severe Ukrainian manpower issues. All of the remaining money that has been appropriated by Congress for Ukraine is expected to be provided.
President Biden was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in Rome, but the White House announced the trip was canceled due to the wildfires raging in California. The Biden-Zelensky meeting would have been their final meeting before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Administration officials argue that both the US and Ukrainian administrations anticipate potential negotiations with Moscow in the first part of 2025 and aim to further empower Ukraine ahead of these talks. The sanctions imposed by the US on Russia have contributed to a significant weakening of the Russian economy, with soaring inflation and interest rates and Russia’s diminishing ability to compete economically in the long term.
The Biden administration has given Ukraine more than $65 billion in aid since the war began in late February 2022.
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