The Biden administration on Thursday announced an additional $500 million military aid to Ukraine in the security package rushed out the door before President Trump took office.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the last time at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he made the announcement. Both officials used the opportunity to urge the incoming Trump administration to continue supporting Kyiv's war against Russia.
“If Putin can swallow Ukraine, his appetite will only grow,” Austin warned at the 25th meeting of the nearly 50 member states that have pledged to support Ukraine with weapons and aid estimated at $100,000. 122 billion.
“If dictators decide that democratic governments will lose power, give in to their interests, and forget their principles, we will only see more land grabs. If dictators learn that violence is inherited, we will invite more violence, riots and war.”
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From left: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attend a meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Team at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Thursday, January 9 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
Recent US defense assistance to Ukraine includes missiles for fighter jets, support equipment for F-16s, armored bridge systems, small arms and ammunition and other parts of equipment and supplies of communication.
The weapons package is financed by the presidential distribution authority (PDA), which means that the weapons will come out of US pockets, speeding up their delivery to Ukraine.
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Austin announced a new $500 million defense package for Ukraine. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
Officials noted that this is the seventy-fourth part of the resources of the Biden administration that will be given out Department of Defense Ukrainian products from August 2021.
This latest package leaves about $3.85 billion to provide future arms supplies to Ukraine; If the Biden administration makes no further announcements, the measure will be up to Trump to send if elected.
Zelensky asked that the next administration continue US support for his country's defense against Russian invaders.
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The ruins of the city of Toretsk in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“We have gone so far that it would be crazy to drop the ball now and not continue to build the security alliances that we have created,” Zelenskyy said. “No matter what happens in the world, everyone wants to be sure that their country will not just be erased from the map.”
Pro-Kyiv coalition countries, including the US, have ramped up arms production since the conflict in Ukraine revealed that stockpiles were not enough for the great war of the common land.
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The US has provided about $66 billion in total aid since February 2022 and has been able to provide most of that total – between 80% and 90% – to Ukraine.
“Retreat will provide impetus for royalist aggression,” Austin said Thursday. “And if we get desperate, you can count on Putin to push harder and hit harder. Ukraine's survival is on the line. But so is the security of Europe, the United States, and the world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.