U.S. announces $500 million military aid package for Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has announced an additional $500 million military aid package for Kyiv and has reaffirmed the United States' continued support for Ukraine.
"Ukraine's struggle is important for all of us," Austin declared on Thursday, January 9, at the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group held at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, Germany.
"Putin's war poses a challenge to free people worldwide. We all have a stake in ensuring that autocrats do not elevate their imperial ambitions above the fundamental rights of free and sovereign nations," said Austin, who is entering his final weeks as head of the Pentagon. The meeting was attended by representatives of about 50 countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
The new aid package includes air defense missiles, ammunition, and cruise missiles for the F16 fighter jets supplied to Ukraine. The Pentagon insists that military assistance be delivered to Ukraine by the end of January, according to the Associated Press.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the member countries of the Contact Group have come "such a long way that it would be sheer madness to abandon and not continue to strengthen" the defense coalitions they have built. "No matter what's happening in the world, everyone wants to be sure that their country won't simply be erased from the map," stated the Ukrainian leader.
The 25th meeting of Ukraine's allies under the "Ramstein" format is taking place amid an imminent U.S. government transition, set to occur in less than two weeks. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized military aid to Ukraine and claimed he could quickly end the Russian-Ukrainian war. This has raised concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that Trump might compel Ukraine to make significant concessions to Moscow, according to AFP.
Politico reports that Austin's departure as U.S. Secretary of Defense could disrupt the coalition of Ukraine's allies within the "Ramstein" format, potentially dealing a "blow" to Kyiv.
"This is a particularly tumultuous time as the incoming Trump administration expresses skepticism about U.S. aid to Ukraine, and new ultra-right European governments show less interest in sending more weapons to Kyiv," the publication states.