US announces new military aid package for Ukraine

The Biden administration has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on 12 December. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby announced at a briefing in Washington that President Joe Biden “approved a new security assistance package for Ukraine that will provide them with additional air defense, artillery, drones, and armored vehicles.”

This marks the 72nd drawdown package announced by the United States, with Kirby emphasizing that “we’re going to continue to provide additional packages right up to the end of this Administration.” Kirby didn’t reveal the exact amount and contents of the security package.

Reuters says the package was expected to be worth about $500 million and include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), according to a person briefed on the matter.

Kirby also highlighted the recent US disbursement of $20 billion to a new World Bank fund for Ukraine, stating that it “leverages income earned from frozen Russian sovereign assets and increasingly puts the cost of war on Russia with no burden to the taxpayer here in the United States.”

When questioned about US President-elect Trump’s criticism regarding allowing Ukraine long-range missile strikes inside Russia, Kirby defended the Administration’s policy, stating their aim is “to make sure Ukraine can continue to defend itself so that if and when this comes to some sort of negotiation that [Ukrainian] President Zelenskyy is in the best possible position.”

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