The U.S. will send Ukraine the full $6 billion in outstanding military aid before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a briefing on Nov. 7.
Previously, Politico reported that U.S. President Joe Biden was rushing to deliver the remaining $6 billion by the end of his term out of fear that a Trump administration might halt weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Ukraine will receive $4 billion under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which pulls weapons from U.S. stocks, and $2 billion from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Singh told reporters.
When asked if the U.S. had enough weapons stockpiled to get shipments to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration, Singh said Washington was “confident” it could keep its commitments to Kyiv.
“So we’re always constantly backfilling and restocking our shelves. … (W)e’re committed to providing Ukraine what it needs and that includes that $4 billion in authority,” she said.
Singh also pointed out that Ukraine has many supporters both within the U.S. government and around the world.
“(I)t’s not just the United States that’s supporting Ukraine and that will continue to support Ukraine,” she said, emphasizing that Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) includes “over 50 countries.”
“And on top of that, Ukraine has bicameral and bipartisan support in Congress. So there is an administration change that’s going to happen in January, but support for Ukraine remains strong.”
Trump’s Nov. 5 electoral victory triggered fears that U.S. aid to Ukraine might soon draw to a close. Trump’s comments on Ukraine have emphasized speedy results over long-term support, and he has refrained from saying he wants Ukraine to prevail over Russia.
Anxiety over the possible withdrawal of U.S. aid comes as Ukraine braces itself for another grueling winter of Russian infrastructure attacks. Meanwhile, North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to aid Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Owen Racer
