The Biden administration is working to surge deliveries of weapons to Ukraine in its final days in office in a concerted effort to put Kyiv on a strong footing going into 2025, according to a senior administration official, Report informs via CNN.
The push is in stark contrast to that of the incoming Trump administration, with President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticizing a recent US move to allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia in an interview with Time Magazine published Thursday.
In the latest show of support for Ukraine, the Biden administration on Thursday evening announced a $500 million aid package that will pull equipment out of the US military’s stocks.
“DoD is undertaking a historic effort to move massive quantities of weapons into Ukraine in the next five weeks,” the senior administration official said. “Between now and mid-January, we will deliver to Ukraine hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, hundreds of armored vehicles, and other critical capabilities.”
An interagency effort to deliver the weapons is being led by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the senior official said. In November, Sullivan told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on behalf of the president to “accelerate” the deliveries of armored vehicles, rockets, artillery and more to Ukraine. The Pentagon is now conducting sealifts and airlifts to meet the delivery deadline.