Biden Greenlights Billions More For Ukraine In Waning Days Of Presidency

President Joe Biden announced Monday that the federal government is sending $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine in the final days of his presidency.

The funding will help the Ukrainians secure equipment for artillery and air defense systems, among other things, according to the White House. In his official statement, Biden said that he is “surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible” in the final weeks of his presidency, even as President-elect Donald Trump has clearly stated he wants to end the bloody Russia-Ukraine war after years of fighting.

“Today, I am proud to announce nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, as the Ukrainian people continue to defend their independence and freedom from Russian aggression,” Biden said in the statement. “I’ve directed my Administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible—including drawing down older U.S. equipment for Ukraine, rapidly delivering it to the battlefield, and then revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base to modernize and replenish our stockpiles with new weapons.” 

“At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office,” Biden added.

Since the war began in February 2022, the U.S. has obligated at least $130 billion and disbursed $86 billion to assist the Ukrainian effort, according to the special inspector general overseeing the U.S. Ukraine response. The war itself has seen brutal fighting, though neither side has been able to decisively take and maintain the initiative through nearly three years of combat.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly connected with Trump earlier in December over the phone, and the two leaders agreed to work together to find a “fair, just, and sustainable peace” to end the conflict.

Though precise figures are not known, hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are thought to have died or been injured to the point of being incapacitated, according to The New York Times, while the Council on Foreign Relations estimates that millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the fighting.