Thu Sep 26 14:03:56 UTC 2024: ## Biden Releases $8 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine, Despite GOP Pushback

**WASHINGTON** – President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the release of nearly $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including the remaining funding authorized by Congress. The move comes as lawmakers declined to extend the availability of certain funds beyond next week’s deadline, despite pleas from the White House.

The aid package includes $2.4 billion under the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and $5.5 billion under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows direct withdrawals from US military stockpiles. The latter sum was set to expire at the end of this month, marking the end of the US fiscal year.

The announcement was made during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is currently visiting the US to promote his “victory plan” in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Zelensky, whose plan heavily relies on American aid, sought to present it directly to Biden. However, US officials, according to the Wall Street Journal, found the plan “unimpressive.”

The new aid package includes an additional Patriot surface-to-air system, more munitions and drones, and a new weapon system, the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), a glide bomb with a range of up to 130km.

The 11th-hour release of the funds has drawn criticism from some supporters of Ukraine, with Republican Senator Roger Wicker calling it “typical of this administration to wait until the last possible moment.”

Zelensky’s visit has also sparked criticism from members of the GOP, who have accused him of campaigning for the Democrats after his visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state. They have also alleged that the Biden administration facilitated potential election interference by organizing the visit and spending taxpayer money on it.

This latest military aid package to Ukraine comes amidst growing concerns over the length and cost of the ongoing conflict and growing divisions within the US Congress regarding continued support for Kiev.

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