31 December 2024

Biden Announces $5.9B for Ukraine Aid

 


  • In a statement announcing $2.5B of military aid packages across two streams, Biden said the move was intended "to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to prevail," adding: "I've directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible — including drawing down older U.S. equipment for Ukraine."[2]

  • Biden's announcement includes $1.25B of military aid from existing stockpiles, while a further $1.22B funds an additional Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package — Biden's last in his time in office.[1][2]

  • In a separate statement, the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced a further "disbursement of $3.4 billion in direct budget support for Ukraine." A US official told Reuters that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war nearly three years ago, the US has now provided upwards of $30B of budgetary help to Ukraine — sums used largely for paying government salaries.[1][3]

  • According to the Pentagon, the US has provided approximately $61.4B of military aid to Ukraine since the start of the war.[1]


Zelensky is all-time money heist ‘champ’ – Musk

The comments from the Tesla and SpaceX CEO follow the announcement of a new $2.5 billion arms package by President Joe Biden
Zelensky is all-time money heist ‘champ’ – Musk











Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has referred to Vladimir Zelensky as an “all-time champ” when it comes to grabbing cash, in a post on X. It follows US President Joe Biden’s announcement on Monday of a new $2.5 billion US arms package for Kiev.
  • Musk’s remark came in response to another X user’s comment saying that the Ukrainian leader “has genuinely pulled off one of the greatest money heists of all time.”
President Biden’s latest military aid package for Ukraine includes advanced weaponry, ammunition, and armored vehicles, with a total value of $2.5 billion. Biden emphasized the need to support Ukraine in his final weeks in office, specifying that $1.25 billion of the package would be drawn from US stockpiles under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA).

  • Utah Senator Mike Lee referred to the package as “money laundering,” in another X post on Sunday. There have been bipartisan calls for audits that have questioned the transparency and accountability of the $175 billion in US assistance since the Ukraine conflict began.


The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has repeatedly questioned the allocation and oversight of Western resources sent to Kiev. In March, Musk stated that Kiev should give Washington “proper accounting of how it is used and a plan to resolve the conflict.” 


  • He has also accused top US officials – most notably former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, known for her leading role in the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev – of “pushing this war.”
  • While SpaceX has provided the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet terminals, Musk has long argued that Kiev cannot hope to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield and that the conflict must end in a negotiated settlement. During the summer, Musk endorsed White House aspirant Donald Trump, who has vowed to bring a swift end to the fighting.

After winning the presidential election Trump pitched Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to co-head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a body that will be tasked with reducing government waste and streamlining the federal bureaucracy.
The billionaire has also reportedly engaged in direct communications with Zelensky in a phone call between the Ukrainian leader and Trump in November.
According to Axios’ sources, Musk promised to continue supporting Ukraine through his Starlink satellites.


Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of US President-elect Donald Trump, have reacted with humor to a meme on X in which Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is compared to ‘Home Alone’ character Kevin McAllister.   
The meme shows the famous scene from ‘Home Alone 2’ where Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, meets Donald Trump at the Plaza Hotel in New York, which the US president-elect owned at the time.  
  • The top half of the meme depicts the shot where Trump, who made a brief cameo in the 1992 comedy, gives Kevin directions to the lobby. 
  • The bottom half, however, features a photograph from a recent meeting between Trump and Zelensky, where the latter is photo-edited to wear a hat similar to Kevin’s in the movie.  
Trump Jr. re-posted the picture to X on Tuesday with laughing emojis, prompting a similar response from Musk.   

No comments:

International Mind-Body Wellness Day, celebrated each year on January 3

  How exercise may be the ‘most potent medical intervention ever known’ Jan 1, 2025 6:25 PM EST By —  William Brangham It's been well kn...