US President Biden announces $2.5bn military aid package for Ukraine
Al Jazeera
Administration of US President Joe Biden has committed more than $65bn in support since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
United States President Joe Biden has announced that his administration will send nearly $2.5bn in military assistance to Ukraine, as the president rushes aid to the war-torn country before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
The new round of assistance, announced on Monday, includes $1.25bn derived from presidential drawdown authority, which allows Biden to withdraw materials from US military supplies without the need for congressional approval.
Another $1.22bn comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a programme run through the Department of Defense and funded by congressional appropriations.
In addition to the military aid, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen also unveiled $3.4bn in economic assistance on Monday to help Ukraine’s government and prop up its infrastructure.
“I’ve directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.”
