Biden Announces Nearly $2.5 Billion More In Military Aid For Ukraine

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 02: President Joe Biden sit at his desk ahead of addressing the nation on averting default and the Bipartisan Budget Agreement in the Oval Office of the White House on June 2, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion more in weapons to Ukraine. Biden’s administration is working quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kyiv fight off Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in three weeks. The package announced Monday includes $1.25 billion in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the military to pull existing stock from its shelves and gets weapons to the battlefield faster. The deal also puts more long-term weapons packages on contract through a separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for longer-term weapons deliveries. Biden said all longer-term funds have now been spent and pledged to use the remaining drawdown money before leaving office.

(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)