Vern Evans
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The U.S. is sending Ukraine another $1 billion in long-term security aid, nearly half of the budget left in the Pentagon’s account.
This $988 million package will come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through which the U.S. buys new equipment for Ukraine rather than shipping kit directly from American stocks. As of last week, the U.S. had just over $2 billion left in the fund.
The latest round will go toward rocket munitions, drones and equipment needed to repair weapons within Ukraine.
“America and our friends have become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Austin announced the package at the Reagan National Defense Forum, a national security talkfest in California he’s attended all four years in office. During his speech, he defended the Biden Pentagon’s legacy, which has in large part been defined by its support for Ukraine.
After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Austin helped form a group of countries that coordinates assistance to Kyiv. America has since sent more than $62 billion in security aid, alongside $57 billion more from its partners.
Such support is coming at increased cost for Russia. Austin said that its military has suffered 700,000 casualties, a number that is accelerating even as Moscow continues to make slight gains in Ukraine’s east.
Multiple European political and defense officials — from Sweden to Lithuania — are with Austin at the forum making the case for continued aid to lawmakers and people who will staff the incoming Trump administration.
Austin referenced the uncertainty around this transition in his remarks. The president-elect has urged an end to the war in Ukraine, though without committing to an outcome.
“We can continue to stand up to the Kremlin, or we can let Putin have his way — and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a world of chaos and conflict,” Austin said.
“This administration has made its choice, and so has a bipartisan coalition in Congress,” he added. “The next administration must make its own choice.”
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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