United States President Joe Biden asked the Department of Defense to rush weapons deliveries to Ukraine after Russia launched a Christmas Day attack on its smaller neighbour’s energy infrastructure.
Biden’s comments on Wednesday come at a time when his administration is scrambling to send military assistance to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Here’s a look at what the US has committed to Ukraine since Trump’s election in November, and why Biden is in a rush to get money and supplies over to Ukraine.
What was the Christmas attack on Ukraine?
On Wednesday, Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and cruise and ballistic missiles. The attack wounded at least six people in Kharkiv and killed one in Dnipropetrovsk, according to local authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia “deliberately chose Christmas” to launch an attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“What could be more inhumane?” Zelenskyy asked in an X post on Wednesday.
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Ukraine – which previously celebrated Christmas according to the Orthodox calendar, like Russia, on January 7 – has marked it for the past two years during Russia’s war on the country on December 25, like the West.
Keith Kellogg, whom Trump picked to be his special envoy for the Ukraine war, condemned the attack, saying: “Christmas should be a time of peace, yet Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” adding that the US is committed to bringing peace to Ukraine.
Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice – not only of targets but also of timing and date.
Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles,… pic.twitter.com/GMD8rTomoX
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024
What did Biden say?
Biden released a statement on Wednesday condemning Russia’s attack.
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” the statement said.
The statement added: “In recent months, the United States has provided Ukraine with hundreds of air defense missiles, and more are on the way. I have directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine.”
This promise is the latest among several that Biden has made since Trump’s election win against Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris. Since then, the Biden administration has scrambled to send military support to Ukraine before Trump takes office.
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How much aid has Ukraine received from the US?
According to a fact sheet published by the White House on December 2, the US has committed $61.4bn in security aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war on February 24, 2022.
On December 2, the Biden administration announced a $725m military assistance package with munitions, surface-to-air missile systems, small arms, spare parts and demolition equipment. This was sent from the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), approved by the US Congress.
The US pledged $988m in military aid to Ukraine on December 7. This package included drones and munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which the US had provided to Ukraine earlier. Instead of the PDA, this was sent from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
Then, on December 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled a military aid package to Kyiv worth $500m, comprising HIMARS ammunition, drones and armoured vehicles. This was also sent from the PDA.
How much more military aid could Biden send to Ukraine?
With Republicans in control of both houses of the new Congress, which takes office at the beginning of the year, Biden, a Democrat, is unlikely to be able to secure approvals for new funding for Ukraine. Trump and many Republicans loyal to him have made clear that they are opposed to what they describe as a “blank cheque” in terms of funding for Ukraine.
Even without additional approvals, Biden still has a kitty of funds his administration plans to dip into to get as much aid to Ukraine as it can before the 82-year-old hands over the keys to the White House to Trump.
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As of late November, there was $4bn to $5bn left in the PDA. Even with $1.5bn out of that subsequently committed by Biden, the exiting president has a significant source of money left to try to get to Ukraine.
From August 2022 to December 12 this year, the Biden administration used the PDA 55 times to send assistance to Ukraine.
Additionally, about $2.2bn remains under the USAI for Biden to use.
Why is the Biden administration rushing to send aid to Ukraine?
Trump has questioned US financial involvement in Ukraine.
During a campaign event in Georgia in September, Trump said: “Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100bn,” citing a made-up statistic.
“We’re stuck in that war unless I’m president,” he said at the rally.
The president-elect has said he wants to bring the Ukraine war to a prompt end, raising concerns that he could cut support to Kyiv once in office.
On December 13, John Kirby, the US national security spokesman said Biden would “continue to provide additional packages right up to the end of this administration”.
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