The United States will provide nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday. This comes as the Biden administration rushes to spend all congressionally approved funds to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.
The latest package will include more drones and munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that the U.S. has already provided. These weapons are critically needed now but are funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for longer-term systems.
The $988 million package is on top of an additional $725 million in U.S. military assistance announced earlier, including counter-drone systems and HIMARS munitions drawn from Pentagon stockpiles for quick deployment. The U.S. has given Ukraine over $62 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
"This administration has made its choice. So has a bipartisan coalition in Congress. The next administration must make its own choice,"
Austin said at an annual gathering of national security officials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Trump had a hastily arranged meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France's Emmanuel Macron while in Paris for Notre Dame Cathedral’s reopening.
"Together, we have helped Ukraine survive an all-out assault by the largest military in Europe,"
Austin stated, emphasizing continued support from global allies against Russian aggression.
"We're not going to stop Putin by telling Ukraine we aren't going to give you anything more,"
said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state during a panel discussion at the Reagan National Defense Forum.