Joe Biden's Final $500M Ukraine Package Leaves $3.8B on the Table for Trump

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled outgoing President Joe Biden's final aid package for Ukraine, which is reported to leave $3.8 billion on the table for President-elect Donald Trump.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the details of the military aid package at the 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, saying it is valued at about $500 million. This leaves billions for Trump to disburse when he enters office on January 20, according to reports.

Newsweek contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry and the Trump transition team for comment via email on Thursday.

Why It Matters

It is the final security package from Biden before he leaves the White House. The Biden administration has been steady in its support to Ukraine, providing Kyiv with more than $63.5 billion in aid since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

Given Trump's criticism of Washington's role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, observers of the war fear military aid for Ukraine will taper off once he enters the White House. During his campaign for the White House, he threatened to halt providing aid to Ukraine if reelected, and claimed he would be able to bring a swift end to the war.

What To Know

Austin said the military aid under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) is worth an estimated $500 million, and would include equipment for Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, air defense missiles, air-to-ground munitions and ammunition.

After the allocation of the latest $500 million military package, about $3.8 billion in approved funds passed by Congress in April 2024 will remain unused and will be managed by the incoming Trump administration on January 20, despite a promise by the White House to spend the full amount before Biden leaves office, the Voice of America reported.

What People Are Saying

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Ramstein Air Base, Germany: "I am announcing today another Presidential Drawdown Authority package, valued at approximately $500 million. It includes additional missiles for Ukrainian air defense, more ammunition, more air-to-ground munitions, and other equipment to support Ukraine's F-16s."

"Here again in Ramstein, I am determined to do all I can to help Ukraine live in freedom and security—and to forge a more just and decent world. And together, our work must continue.

"Here is the fundamental truth: Ukraine's fight matters to all of us. As I said here in Ramstein back at our first meeting in April 2022, Putin's war 'is a challenge to free people everywhere.' And we all have a stake in ensuring that autocrats cannot place their imperial ambitions ahead of the bedrock rights of free and sovereign peoples.

"Ukraine is waging a just war of self-defense. And it is one of the great causes of our time."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on X, formerly Twitter: "Today, at the Ramstein Contact Group. In nearly three years of full-scale war, we've proven that when we stand united, no one is too small to impact history. We've come so far that it would be crazy to drop the ball now and stop building on the defense coalitions we've created."

What Happens Next

It remains unclear whether Trump will curtail support to Ukraine upon his return to the White House. In December, the Financial Times reported, citing three officials familiar with the matter, that Trump plans to continue sending Ukraine military equipment after his inauguration.