Biden administration gives $500m to Ukraine in final military aid package
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US defense secretary says ‘Ukraine’s fight matters to all’ when revealing aid bundle days before Trump’s return. The Biden administration has given its final injection of military support to Ukraine, unveiling a $500m weapons package just days before Donald Trump’s return to the White House threatens to upend western backing for Kyiv.
The aid bundle – including air defense missiles and F-16 fighter jet equipment – was announced on Thursday by outgoing US defense secretary Lloyd Austin during a summit at Germany’s Ramstein air base. “Here is the fundamental truth: Ukraine’s fight matters to all of us,” Austin said. “Putin’s war is a challenge to free people everywhere.”.
The announcement came as the White House scrambles to impose 11th-hour sanctions on Russia reportedly by week’s end, with Trump’s incoming Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, already promising a swift resolution to the conflict within his first 100 days in office.
The package forms part of a broader White House strategy, revealed last month, to shore up Ukraine’s position before the presidential transition. That plan, which includes training for new Ukrainian troops outside the country’s borders and a proposed $20bn loan backed by frozen Russian assets, represents a final push to strengthen Kyiv’s hand.
With only days remaining before Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, the latest package taps into $3.8bn of remaining Pentagon funds. The incoming president has repeatedly criticized America’s world-leading $65bn support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
