Biden Squeezes in ‘Significant New Military Assistance for Ukraine’ Before Trump Takes Over

The Biden administration announced Monday that it is sending $725 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine

“As part of the surge in security assistance that President Biden announced on September 26, the United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia’s ongoing attacks, the State Department announced in a news release that also called the package “significant new military assistance for Ukraine.” On that date, President Joe Biden said he planned to send Ukraine every bit of aid that has been approved by the end of his term in office, according to a White House statement.

Of note, President-elect Donald Trump has been a frequent critic of aid to Ukraine.

The new round of aid uses Biden’s drawdown authority, which means Ukraine gets weapons already in the possession of America’s armed forces.

The release said the aid package includes “Stinger missiles; Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions; ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition; Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS); Non-persistent antipersonnel landmines; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; Tube-launched, Optically guided, Wire-tracked (TOW) missiles” as well as rifles, ammunition, and parts for existing equipment.

Ukraine has received about $61.4 billion in aid since the February 2022 invasion by Russia, according to the Washington Times.

The most recent shipment is the  71st time the White House has used the Presidential Drawdown Authority to ship weapons to Ukraine.

“We’re absolutely going to keep sending Ukraine weapons and equipment. We know that’s vital. But so, too, is manpower at this point,” White House spokesman John Kirby said last week, according to The Washington Post.

“In fact, we believe manpower is the most vital need they have. So we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” he said.

As Russian forces advance, the Biden administration wants Ukraine to lower the draft age from 25 to 18.

One senior administration official said that although Ukraine had suffered a munitions shortage earlier in the year before Congress approved $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, its issue is different now.

“The munitions gap may not be completely closed between Ukraine and Russia, but it’s gotten a whole lot better. But on the manpower side, it’s just a question of math and physics,” this official, who was not named, said.

Another $725 million for Ukraine.
It never ends.

We have $36 trillion in national debt, we have over a $2 trillion budget deficit. 25% of every dollar in US govt revenue goes to paying interest on the national debt.

Our foreign aid budget should be $0.00.
We are broke. pic.twitter.com/gUyYWhkevg

— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) December 2, 2024

“I’m not trying to accuse Ukraine of anything. It’s a very challenging issue for them,” the official said. “But over the course of especially this last year, it’s just that they’re not mobilizing and training enough soldiers to replace battlefield losses.”

“The most decisive factor on the battlefield today is Ukrainian soldiers willing to fight to stabilize the front lines,” the official said.

The Post report noted that some officials are concerned that as Biden races to deliver weapons to Ukraine, American forces might be shortchanged.

One senior U.S. defense official said one risk of the stepped-up shipment to Ukraine is the demand on the military’s transportation capability.

“We have been looking at what would the options be … if we are directed to make that acceleration happen, and what the cost would be to other missions around the world,” the defense official said.

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