Dec. 27 (UPI) — The Biden administration announced an additional $250 million in military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, as U.S. funding for the country’s nearly two-year war against Russia runs out.
The package of weapons and equipment, which is the final military package of the year, includes “air defense munitions, other air defense system components, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions and more than 15 million rounds of ammunition,” the U.S. State Department announced in a statement Wednesday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged Congress to “act swiftly, as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future.”
Last week, the Biden administration said it was planning to provide one more Ukraine military package this year, without lawmakers’ approval, after unveiling an emergency supplement funding bill in October that would provide $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.
The funding has met strong resistance from Republicans, who are demanding the package include more money go to securing the U.S. border. Earlier this month, Republicans in the Senate stalled Ukraine military aid in a 49-51 vote.
“Unless Congress acts to pass the president’s national security supplemental funding request, this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine,” Blinken warned earlier this month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington, D.C., two weeks ago, to urge Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden to provide more funding to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“American leadership is crucial to keep unity together for the entire free world,” Zelensky warned, as Biden urged Congress to act before the end of the year.
“Without supplemental funding, we’re rapidly coming to an end of our ability to help Ukraine respond to the urgent operational demands that it has,” Biden said. “Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must, we must, we must prove him wrong.”
A coalition of more than 50 countries, including the United States, has provided support for Ukraine’s forces since Russia invaded in February 2022. The United States has provided more than $46 billion in military aid.
