Biden sending aid for Ukraine to keep fighting next year, Blinken says

US President Joe Biden will send “as much aid as possible” to Ukraine in its final few months in power, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday during a trip to Brussels.

“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and 20 January,” when Donald Trump is due to be sworn in to power, Blinken said.

The US will “adapt and adjust” what latest equipment it is sending, without providing details on what military equipment the US plans to provide the country, which is nearing its third year of war against neighbouring Russia.

He added that NATO countries should focus their efforts on ensuring Ukraine “has the money, munitions and mobilised forces” to either fight effectively in 2025, or negotiate peace from a position of strength.

There is a shadow of political uncertainty surrounding how the US will approach its policy on the war following the inaugaration of Trump.

The US is currently the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, upon which it is heavily reliant. Trump has not given concrete details on what his administrations approach to the war would be, but has said multiple times that he would consider halting funds to the war war-torn country.

The war in Ukraine has shown no signs of slowing down, with Russia launching a huge attack on the country’s capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday with a combination of missile and drones.

Eight regions across Ukraine were attacked in total on Wednesday, with Russia firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, according to the Ukrainian air force.

North Korean troops have also been confirmed to be present in the war, with the US State Department saying that most of them are fighting to drive Ukraine’s army off Russian soil in the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion earlier this year.

Russia’s military has trained the North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone skills and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel on Tuesday.

Kyiv officials say that Russia has deployed around 50,000 troops in a bid to dislodge Ukrainian soldiers from the Kursk region.

Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation isn’t known.