US plans to announce significant military aid package for Ukraine: Date revealed
Photo: Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense (Getty Images)
The US may announce a significant military aid package for Ukraine, likely during Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin's visit to Germany for the Ramstein meeting on January 9, Associated Press reports.
According to the Associated Press, citing two senior US officials, this will be the final aid package for Ukraine from President Joe Biden's administration.
Sources told the outlet that Washington will not manage to spend approximately $4 billion remaining under the Ukraine funding approved by Congress.
The AP's interlocutors noted that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will have "more than a couple of billion dollars" at its disposal to provide military aid to Ukraine, should it choose to do so.
One official revealed that Biden administration officials are in contact with Trump’s transition team to discuss "all the issues that we believe are important" to supporting Ukraine.
The AP sources added that the package to be announced on Thursday will come from existing US stockpiles. This ensures that Ukraine will receive the weapons before Trump’s inauguration.
Announcement of a new package
On January 4, John Kirby, the US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated that the US would announce a new military aid package for Ukraine "in the coming days." He did not provide further details.
The last two US military aid packages for Ukraine were announced on the same day. The first, valued at $1.24 billion, included weapons from American stockpiles. The second, worth $1.22 billion, was provided under the USAI program, which orders weapons from US defense contractors.
Notably, the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, known as the Ramstein format, will take place in Germany on Thursday, January 9.
