White House announces new $500 million weapons package for Kyiv
"This additional assistance, provided under previous drawdowns from Department of Defense stocks, is valued at $500 million," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Dec. 12.
"This additional assistance, provided under previous drawdowns from Department of Defense stocks, is valued at $500 million," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Dec. 12.
The document will not be published due to the "sensitivity of some of its findings," the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, told the Associated Press.
Some 44.6% of Ukrainians trust U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, roughly 10 points less than incumbent President Joe Biden, a survey by New Europe Center published on Dec. 10 showed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 9 his intention to call U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss Ukraine’s invitation to NATO.
"Additionally, Russia's support for Assad also failed. And that's because Ukraine, backed by our American allies, has put up a wall of resistance against invading Russian forces, inflicting massive damage on the Russian forces," U.S. President Joe Biden said.
The latest aid package will be pulled through the remaining $2 billion in funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) — a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
Washington will send Kyiv hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles before mid-January. The U.S. also offered to train soldiers at sites beyond Ukrainian territory.
The new aid package would include landmines, drones, Stinger missiles, and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), an official familiar with the plan told Reuters.
The Biden administration may not be able to deliver the promised multibillion-dollar aid to Ukraine before Donald Trump’s inauguration, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 27.
The Biden administration is urging Ukraine to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 in an effort to increase troop numbers, the Associated Press reported on Nov. 27, citing an unnamed senior Biden administration official.
Roughly $16 billion of the sum would be used to restock U.S. arsenals, while the remaining $8 billion would go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the outlet wrote.
Many U.S. officials now acknowledge that Ukraine could be pushed into talks within months and might be forced to cede territory to end the war, the Washington Post (WP) reported on Nov. 26.
"We have taken the step that was outlined in the law to cancel those loans, provide that economic assistance to Ukraine, and now Congress is welcome to take it up if they wish," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Nov. 20.
The first reports of Ukraine striking deep inside Russia with U.S.-supplied ATACMS emerged on Nov. 19, marking a long-awaited shift in White House policy that could bolster Ukraine's defense against a 50,000-strong joint Russian-North Korean force assembled against them. President Joe Biden's decision to finally grant Kyiv
It will include HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ammunition, artillery shells, and Javelin surface-to-air missiles, in addition to a wide range of spare parts and equipment.
According to the source, the strikes were approved as a response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a sign of escalation by Russia.
Despite warnings from some analysts ahead of the U.S. elections that a win by the Republican nominee Donald Trump could become a “worst-case scenario” for Ukraine, the mood in Kyiv after his victory was far more mixed. Some Ukrainians are optimistic that the president-elect could improve Kyiv’s standing
"The weapons President Biden authorized Ukraine to use will give it more capabilities to defend itself and, hopefully, make the Russian Federation understand that using force to seize Ukrainian territory will not succeed," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian A. Nichols said in an interview.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with long-range American missiles, calling it "a good decision" on Nov. 18.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for echoing Moscow's talking points, claimed that U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the use of ATACMS against targets in Russia "to disrupt or delay peace talks completely."
While reposting a news item of the policy change on X, Trump Jr. referred to the Biden administration as "imbeciles" for allowing the decision to go forward.
The permission should initially apply to strikes against Russian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast but could eventually expand to other areas, undisclosed official sources told the New York Times.
"President Biden condemned the deployment of thousands of (North Korean) troops to Russia, a dangerous expansion of Russia’s unlawful war against Ukraine with serious consequences for both European and Indo-Pacific peace and security," the White House statement read.
Some EU officials are urging the U.S. to provide more weapons and artillery to Ukraine, as well as permissions to carry out long-range strikes on Russia, sources told Bloomberg.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to voice his "deep concern" regarding China's "support for Russia's war against Ukraine" and North Korea's participation in combat operations.
President-elect Donald Trump told The New York Post on Nov. 13 that he and President Joe Biden discussed the war in Ukraine during their historic post-election meeting in the Oval Office.
"He (President Joe Biden) believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told journalists on Nov. 12.
Key developments on Nov. 12: * Ukrainian drone strikes oil depot in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, local official claims * Russia deploys assault groups to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military says * Ukraine's 2025 budget includes $1.3 billion for weapons production, minister says * Ukrainian volunteers in Poland sign contracts with Armed Forces * British PM Starmer
Waltz is a Congressman from Florida and a retired Army Green Beret.
The U.K. prime minister will also press for a one-on-one discussion with Joe Biden during the G20 summit.
Jean-Noel Barrot said Kyiv’s Western allies needed to do everything they could to ensure Ukraine entered any future peace negotiations in the strongest position possible.
"President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.