Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Jan. 9 a $500 million aid package for Ukraine, including air defense missiles, ammunition, and equipment for F-16 fighter jets.
The package was unveiled at the Ramstein summit in Germany. It is expected to be the final U.S. defense tranche provided by the Biden administration before Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Trump's imminent return to the White House has caused concern about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine, as the president-elect has often criticized the Biden administration's assistance provided to Kyiv.
The incoming U.S. leadership changes have also cast doubt on the future of the Ramstein-format Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), a coalition of 57 countries that has been coordinating aid for Ukraine since April 2022.
"Month after month, members of this Contact Group have helped provide, produce, and sustain the systems and the munitions that Ukraine needs," Austin said in his address to the meeting alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
"So we must not let up. That's why I am announcing today another presidential drawdown authority package valued at approximately $500 million.
"It includes additional missiles for Ukrainian air defense, more ammunition, and more air-to-ground munitions and other equipment to support Ukraine's F-16s."
Around $3.8 billion remains allocated for Ukraine under the presidential drawdown authority, which enables Washington to provide arms and equipment to Kyiv directly from the Pentagon's stocks. The future of these funds under the incoming Trump administration is uncertain.
Austin, who is attending the summit for the last time as defense secretary, highlighted the Ramstein group's progress over its more than two-and-a-half years of existence, including the formation of eight "capability coalitions" led by 14 countries and Ukraine.
"Earlier today, the Coalition Leadership Group met again... And they endorsed Capability Coalition roadmaps leading to the year 2027," Austin said.
According to the outgoing defense secretary, the UDCG countries have committed more than $122 billion worth of assistance throughout the full-scale war.
"Here is the fundamental truth: Ukraine's fight matters to all of us. As I said here in Ramstein back at our first meeting in April 2022, Putin's war 'is a challenge to free people everywhere.'"
Kateryna Denisova
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