The United States on Saturday announced a new $988 million military aid package for Ukraine in its war with Russia, as Washington races to provide aid to Kiev sooner. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump’s victory in the November election has called into question the future of US aid to Ukraineproviding a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be provided before he is sworn into office next month.
The package includes drones, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The aid will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which military equipment is acquired from defense industry or partners rather than from US stocks, the which means it won’t hit the battlefield immediately.
It follows a $725 million package announced Monday that included a second tranche of land mines, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-armor weapons.
The outgoing Biden administration is working to secure as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump, who has repeatedly criticized U.S. aid to Kiev, begins his second term in the White House in January.
also comes the same day as Trump held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron after traveling to Paris to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral following its extensive renovation following the 2019 fire.
Details of what happened at the meeting were not immediately available.
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Trump’s comments have raised fears in Kiev and Europe about the future of US aid and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of more US support.
The United States has led the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forming a coalition to support Kiev after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
Since then, Ukraine’s international supporters have provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, training and other security aid that have been key to helping Kiev resist Russian forces.
Last month, President Biden restrictions lifted which allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons provided by the United States to strike deep into Russian territory, marking a major shift in US policy in the war.
The Biden administration in November also began the process of supplying Ukraine with controversial anti-personnel mines which are designed to be used against people, not vehicles.