US defense secretary says \u2018Ukraine\u2019s fight matters to all\u2019 when revealing aid bundle days before Trump\u2019s return<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Biden administration<\/a> has given its final injection of military support to Ukraine<\/a>, unveiling a $500m weapons package just days before Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s return to the White House threatens to upend western backing for Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The aid bundle \u2013 including air defense missiles and F-16 fighter jet equipment \u2013 was announced on Thursday<\/a> by outgoing US defense secretary Lloyd Austin during a summit at Germany\u2019s Ramstein air base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere is the fundamental truth: Ukraine\u2019s fight matters to all of us,\u201d Austin said. \u201cPutin\u2019s war is a challenge to free people everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The announcement came as the White House scrambles to impose 11th-hour sanctions on Russia<\/a> reportedly by week\u2019s end, with Trump\u2019s incoming Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, already promising a swift resolution to the conflict within his first 100 days in office<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The package forms part of a broader White House strategy, revealed last month<\/a>, to shore up Ukraine\u2019s position before the presidential transition. That plan, which includes training for new Ukrainian troops outside the country\u2019s borders and a proposed $20bn loan backed by frozen Russian assets, represents a final push to strengthen Kyiv\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With only days remaining before Trump\u2019s inauguration on 20 January, the latest package taps into $3.8bn of remaining Pentagon funds. The incoming president has repeatedly criticized America\u2019s world-leading $65bn support<\/a> for Ukraine since Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A final face-to-face meeting between Biden and Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, planned for Friday in Rome, collapsed after the White House cited California\u2019s disastrous wildfires<\/a> \u2013 leaving the two leaders without a chance to confer before the handover of power in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind closed doors, US officials acknowledge that Ukraine faces severe manpower shortages, even as they publicly tout the crippling impact of western sanctions on Russia\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The aid announcement was made at what could be the last meeting of the 57-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group<\/a>, the western coalition that has channeled more than $125bn in military support to Kyiv. The group has established eight \u201ccapability coalitions<\/a>\u201d led by 14 countries and Ukraine, with roadmaps extending to 2027 \u2013 plans that now face an uncertain future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US officials have said the administration\u2019s goal has been to strengthen Ukraine\u2019s position ahead of potential negotiations with Moscow expected in early 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n