US expected to announce $1.25bln military aid package for Ukraine

The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion (€1.2 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, US officials announced on Friday as Joe Biden pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before he leaves office in January.

The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defence system.

It will also provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said.

The officials, who said they expect the official announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not yet been made public.

The new aid package comes as Russia launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones.

Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of troops from North Korea to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine.

Earlier this month, senior defence officials acknowledged that the Defence Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion (€5.3 billion) in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.

Trump has long been critical of the amount of military aid Washington has provided to Kyiv, raising fears that that flow could stop when he re-enters the White House.

He has also talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, saying on the presidential campaign trail that he could end the almost three-year war “in one day”.

But many US and European leaders are concerned that that could result in a poor deal for Ukraine, including the loss of some territory, and they worry that he won’t provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress.

The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine.

Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate with Moscow.

One senior defence official said that while the US will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until 20 January, there may be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend.

According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion (€1.15 billion) remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more.

Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year.

If the new package is included, the US will have provided more than $64 billion (€61 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.