The article discusses the $3.8 billion in US aid to Ukraine that remained unused under the Biden administration, and what might happen to it under the Trump administration. The secretary of state, Sabrina Singh, said that it’s up to the incoming administration to decide what to do with the remaining authority.
When asked if the Biden administration was concerned about remaining funds and if there was a danger of a lag, she answered that Ukraine has “strong” bipartisan support within Congress. Under the Biden administration, the US committed over $66.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including HIMARS, Patriot air-defense systems, and Abrams battle tanks.
However, protracted decision-making on providing weapons like ATACMS long-range missiles and permission to use them against targets deep inside Russia slowed Ukraine’s ability to fight back. The holdup led to the fall of key eastern cities and towns in Donetsk Oblast.
Faraponov suggests that Trump will use the remaining money but not immediately, possibly as leverage or a bargaining chip in potential negotiations. Kaleniuk believes that the remaining $3.8 billion may be used for Ukraine under the Trump administration, but the change of administration implies a delay in decision-making due to internal political struggles.
The article concludes by noting that while some might expect Trump’s administration to use the remaining funds as leverage or for political gain, it is unclear what specific course of action they will take.