Biden announces another $2.5 billion aid package for Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced a new military aid package to Ukraine valued at nearly $2.5 billion. In an official statement, Biden said, "At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office."

The package includes two major components: an immediate reduction of $1.25 billion in available military equipment and an additional $1.22 billion through the U.S. Security Assistance Initiative.

The latest aid under approved congressional funding

According to the Defense Department, this will be the last assistance from previously approved congressional funding. Among the supplies announced are ammunition, rockets, armored vehicles, and air defense systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden for the aid: "Every air defense system and missile delivered to Ukraine is an asset that literally saves lives and keeps our cities and communities alive." 

On the other hand, Biden stressed that this assistance also represents an opportunity to modernize the American defense base by "drawing down older U.S. equipment for Ukraine, rapidly delivering it to the battlefield, and then revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base to modernize and replenish our stockpiles with new weapons," he said.