Biden announced $2.5 billion in aid to Kiev

US President Joe Biden on Monday, December 30, announced the allocation of nearly $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine.

"Today I am proud to announce the allocation of nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine," the US leader was quoted as saying on the White House website.

The statement says that the package will include $1.25 billion in aid to the Ukrainian military, as well as $1.22 billion in assistance under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). In addition, it is noted that the package will include air defense, artillery and other weapons systems.

In addition, the report notes that Biden instructed his administration to provide the Ukrainian side with rapid delivery of weapons to the combat zone. According to the American leader, the US Department of Defense is in the process of delivery of hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, thousands of missiles and hundreds of units of armored vehicles, which will allegedly strengthen the positions of Ukraine.

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Earlier, on December 13, it became known that Biden had approved a $988m aid package for Ukraine. The coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, noted that the USA would provide additional military support to Kiev "until the end of the term" of the Biden administration.

On the same day, Duma deputy Alexander Tolmachyov told Izvestia that Biden is coordinating the transfer of huge funds to Ukraine at the end of his term because he has nothing to lose - he is ready to do anything to harm Trump and Russia.

Before that, on December 10, the U.S. Treasury Department said that Washington had granted Kiev a $20 billion loan, which is supposed to be repaid with the proceeds from frozen Russian assets. The head of the ministry, Janet Yellen, recalled that this tranche was part of the $50bn loan that the G7 countries were going to give to Ukraine. She said that the USA should tighten anti-Russian sanctions.

On December 7, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the total amount of military support to Ukraine from allies since the start of the special military operation exceeded $119 billion, which also includes $62 billion of U.S. aid.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.