10 months ago
The State Department on Wednesday unveiled this year’s final military aid package for Ukraine, as lawmakers continue to negotiate a spending deal that would sustain U.S. support for Kyiv into the new year.
In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will provide Ukraine with “up to $250 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns.” The package includes air defense munitions, air defense system components, ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions and over 15 million rounds of ammunition.
The package, the last as U.S. aid money to Ukraine dries up, comes as Ukraine’s progress on the battlefield has stalled and winter conditions make continued fighting against the invading Russian army more challenging. It also comes as European leaders have grown increasingly pessimistic about Ukraine’s ability to repel Russia’s military advances and reclaim lost territory in the country’s eastern provinces.
While President Joe Biden and his administration have continued to voice support for Kyiv, U.S. aid to Ukraine has become a partisan issue, with an increasing number of Republicans criticizing ongoing military assistance. Over 100 Republicans attempted to gut aid to Ukraine in September and many Republican presidential candidates, including the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, have spoken out against the aid packages.
Senators from both parties are working to reach a deal that would allow for Ukraine aid in 2024 in exchange for additional border security funding, a move intended to placate Republicans who have long criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the U.S. border with Mexico and say that the administration has neglected other national security priorities amid the war in Ukraine.
Fears that the U.S., the single largest Western provider of military aid to Ukraine, could reduce, or end, its support to Kyiv have prompted some European leaders to float the idea of a tour of the U.S. to rally support among war-weary American voters.
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