On January 20, Donald Trump takes the White House. Now the Joe Biden administration is working to speed up the delivery of a support package to Ukraine in the form of military equipment worth around SEK 64 billion.
This is because it is suspected that Donald Trump may withdraw support when he takes office as president, two anonymous officials in the White House state for Politico.
Takes several months
It normally takes several months for equipment and munitions to reach Ukraine after an aid package is announced, and one hurdle for the Biden administration is that the delivery only applies to weapons equipment in U.S. stockpiles. How quickly the aid can reach Ukraine thus depends on how quickly new weapons can be manufactured, according to Politico.
– We have sent everything that could be produced every month, but it is not possible to send weapons before they are manufactured, says Mark Cancian, former budget administrator for the Pentagon’s materiel budget.
Can tie up money in contracts
In his final months as president, Joe Biden has worked to “Trump-proof” important laws and cement foreign policy, reports CNN. That is, to ensure that laws and measures implemented by the Biden administration are not dismantled during the presidency of Donald Trump.
The site writes that regardless of how Joe Biden acts, Donald Trump will be able to undo most of his previous decisions, but that there are some steps he can take to secure his legacy in the White House. According to the site, one option for the Biden administration to secure support for Ukraine is to tie up money in contracts between Ukraine and American arms manufacturers.
The call: Distribute support quickly
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited Washington in September, Joe Biden urged the Pentagon to distribute what remains of military aid to Ukraine before his term ends.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhij Tykhyj said he welcomes Biden’s efforts to “use the remaining money as quickly as possible,” reports DN.
He also believes that they are not planning for a scenario where the US would reduce contributions to Ukraine.
– That is not what will happen, even if such a scenario were to become reality, he says.