On Thursday, the Biden administration announced an additional $500 million Military aid to Ukraine In a security package she rushed out the door before President-elect Trump took office.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the last time at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he made the announcement. The two officials used this occasion to urge the incoming Trump administration to continue supporting Kyiv's battle against Russia.
“If Putin swallows Ukraine, his appetite will increase,” Austin warned at the 25th meeting of some 50 member states that have joined forces to support Ukraine with an estimated $122 billion in weapons and support.
“If autocrats conclude that democracies will lose their nerve, abandon their interests, and forget their principles, we will only see more land grabs. If dictators learn that aggression pays off, we will only see more aggression, chaos, and war.”
From left: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attend a meeting of the Ukrainian Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Thursday, January 9, 2025. (Marijane Murad/DPA via AP)
Recent US security assistance to Ukraine includes missiles for fighter jets, support equipment for F-16 aircraft, armored bridge systems, small arms, ammunition, spare parts, and other communications equipment.
The arms package is being funded by the Presidential Drawback Authority (PDA), meaning the weapons will come from the US stockpile, speeding up their delivery to Ukraine.
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Austin announced a new $500 million security package for Ukraine. (Marijane Murad/DPA via AP)
Officials indicated that this is the seventy-fourth batch of equipment that will be provided to the Biden administration Ministry of Defense Ukraine stocks since August 2021.
This latest package leaves about $3.85 billion in funding to provide future arms shipments to Ukraine; If the Biden administration makes no further announcements, that balance will be available for Trump to send if he chooses.
Zelensky appealed to the next administration to continue American support for his country's defensive war against the Russian invaders.
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The ruins of the city of Turetsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Okrinform/Norphoto via Getty Images)
“We have come so far that it would be frankly crazy to drop the ball now and continue to build on the defensive alliances we have created,” Zelensky said. “No matter what happens in the world, everyone wants to feel confident that their country is not just going to be wiped off the map.”
Member states of the coalition supporting Kiev, including the United States, have ramped up arms production since the Ukraine war revealed stockpiles insufficient for a military mission. A major conventional ground war.
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The United States has provided about $66 billion in total aid since February 2022, and has managed to provide most of that total — between 80% and 90% — to Ukraine already.
“Withdrawal will only provide incentives for further imperial aggression,” Austin said Thursday. “And if we fail, you can count on Putin to keep up the pressure and strike harder. Ukraine’s survival is at stake. But so is the security of Europe, the United States, and the world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
