Biden administration announces $988M in aid to Ukraine same day Trump meets Zelenskyy in Paris

The Biden administration on Saturday announced a $988 million aid package for Ukraine to ensure that it “has the tools it needs to prevail in the fight against Russian aggression.”

“This administration made their choice. So did the bipartisan coalition in Congress. The next administration must make its own choice,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. “But, from this library, from this platform, I am sure that President Reagan would have stood on the side of Ukraine, American security and civil liberties.”

The aid package is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and will “provide Ukraine with rocket weapons and unmanned aerial systems,” the administration’s release said. “This package also includes support for maintenance and repair programs to help Ukraine mobilize its forces and build and sustain combat capabilities.”

The announcement came as President-elect Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a ceremony to commemorate the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday after a devastating fire in 2019.

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During the campaign, Trump and his running mate JD Vance strongly criticized the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022, and Trump said he would end the war before entering office without giving further details.

Vance also suggested earlier this year that the best way to end the war was for Ukraine to relinquish land seized by Russia and establish a demilitarized zone, a proposal that has been flatly rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, center, looks on with President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Saturday. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Recently, Zelenskyy has said that he is more open to war talks and has asked that Ukraine be allowed to join NATO.

The Biden administration has committed to providing Ukraine with as much aid as possible before Trump takes office in January.

“In September, the president announced an increase in security assistance to Ukraine to put the Ukrainian military in a strong position before he leaves office,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement Monday as he announced $725 million in aid to Ukraine.

Secretary Lloyd Austin (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Between now and mid-January, we will deliver hundreds of thousands of additional artillery rounds, thousands of additional rockets and other critical capabilities to help Ukraine defend its freedom and independence.”

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have is out the door between now and January 20.”

Saturday’s announcement marks the administration’s 22nd aid package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

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This week, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected the administration’s request that Congress authorize $24 billion.

“It’s not Joe Biden’s place to make that decision now,” Johnson said. “We have a newly elected president, and we’re going to wait and take a new commander in chief for all of that. So, I don’t expect any Ukrainian funding to come now.”