US Congress should ensure that Ukraine aid continues even under Trump, Biden says
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said on Jan. 10 he did all he could to help Ukraine and voiced hope that U.S. support will continue even after he leaves office.
"There is a significant number of Democrats and Republicans on the (Capitol) Hill who think we should continue to support Ukraine," Biden said during his remarks on the state of the U.S. economy.
"It is my hope and expectation they'll speak up and not agree to if president... if (U.S. President-elect Donald) Trump decides to cut off funding for Ukraine."
Trump is set to return to the White House on Jan. 20. His reelection sparked concern about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine as the president-elect has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration over funneling assistance to the embattled country.
After his reelection, Trump hinted at a possible reduction of U.S. assistance but said he would not "abandon" Ukraine, aiming to use the support instead as leverage to push for quicker peace talks.
Biden said that during his time in office, he did "everything (he) possibly could" to "give Ukraine every advantage it could have" to defend its independence.
Under Biden, Washington became the leader of the pro-Kyiv coalition, though the president has often been criticized for a supposedly self-restrictive and hesitant approach.
The Biden administration has allocated over $170 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, providing more than $60 billion in military aid.
Earlier this week, the U.S. announced a $500 million military assistance package for Ukraine and the largest yet package of sanctions against the Russian oil industry.
When asked how long Ukraine can hold if Trump cuts aid, Biden voiced his conviction that as long as the European partners remain united, "there is a real chance that the Ukrainians can prevail because the cost to Russia is incredibly high, over 600,000 dead or wounded."
Biden added that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has his own problems economically... as well as politically at home."
The Biden administration said it would seek to aid Ukraine as much as it can in its last months and weeks in office to put the country in the strongest possible negotiating position.
Abbey Fenbert
