Biden Administration Providing Additional $500m In Weapons To Ukraine

The Biden administration is providing an additional $500 million package in weapons and equipment to Ukraine from its existing military stockpiles, looking to further reinforce Kyiv's military less than two weeks before President-elect Trump is set to take office. 

The weapons package, which was announced Thursday, is likely to be the last under President Biden. It is funded by the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), meaning weapons are pulled directly from U.S. stockpiles, speeding up their delivery. 

The package includes various missiles for air defense, air-to-ground munitions, support equipment for F-16 fighter jets, armored bridging systems, small arms and ammunition, spare parts and additional communications equipment. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement Thursday during his final trip as head of the Pentagon to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Austin also hosted the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of around 50 allied nations gathered by the U.S. to better coordinate providing security assistance to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of it in February 2022. 

Austin warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin crushes Ukraine, his conquest will not end there. 

“And the stakes are still enormous — for all of our security. If Putin swallows Ukraine, his appetite will only grow. If autocrats conclude that democracies will lose their nerve, surrender their interests, and forget their principles, we will only see more land grabs,” Austin said Thursday.

“If tyrants learn that aggression pays, we will only invite even more aggression, chaos and war.” 

So far, the U.S. has given more than $66 billion in weapons aid to Ukraine since the war started. Now there is less than $4 billion left of congressionally authorized funding for Kyiv. If not authorized by the end of Biden’s term, likely the majority of it will be under the incoming Trump administration’s discretion. 

The Pentagon noted that this is the Biden administration’s 74th tranche of equipment provided to Ukraine from its inventories since August 2021. 

In late December, the White House formalized a $1.25 billion drawdown package for Ukraine and a $1.22 billion package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. 

“Here again in Ramstein, I am determined to do all I can to help Ukraine live in freedom and security — and to forge a more just and decent world,” Austin said. “And together, our work must continue.”