Biden Announces Additional Military Aid For Ukraine Worth IDR 97 Trillion

US President Joe Biden/PHOTO via Instagram @jobiden

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden announced additional military assistance of nearly 6 billion US dollars (equivalent to Rp97 trillion) for Ukraine.

The assistance consisted of additional security assistance of 2.5 billion US dollars and 3.4 billion US dollars for the additional budget for Ukraine.

"On my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine's position in this war for the remainder of my term of office," Biden said in a statement.

Biden's announcement includes US$1.25 billion worth of military aid taken from American supplies and Ukraine's $1.22 billion (USPAI) Security Assistance Initiative package, the last USAI package in Biden's tenure.

Under the USAI, military equipment is obtained from the defense industry or its partners, not from American supplies, which means it will take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.

Biden said the new aid would give Ukraine great capabilities on the battlefield and supplies of air defense, artillery, and other important weapons systems in the long term.

Finance Minister Janet Yellen said the direct budget assistance provided through coordination with the US International Development Agency and the State Department marked the final disbursement under the 2024 Ukrainian Security Additional Allocation Act.

The US Congress has approved a total aid of 175 billion US dollars for Ukraine since Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. Russia recently used North Korean troops to strengthen their combat positions.