Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially praised U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent decision to expedite aid to Ukraine, calling it a crucial step to bolster Ukrainian forces and stabilize the frontlines.
“Every additional supply from our partners means more saved lives of our soldiers,” Zelenskyy stated in a social media post on X on Sunday. “We are also working to ensure that other partners maintain their support at the necessary level.”
While Kyiv expressed gratitude for Biden’s increased pace of aid in the final months of his term, the timing has sparked mixed feelings among Ukrainian officials. Some have voiced frustration over why similar levels of support were not provided earlier in the year, when the need was just as dire.
“We are very grateful, of course, but it would be really useful if the Biden administration had done what they are doing now earlier, like we have been convincing them to do exactly that for a long time,” an official familiar with the discussions told POLITICO, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
The U.S. remains Ukraine’s largest single-country donor. With this last aid package, the Defense Department has fully allocated all remaining funds under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) appropriated by Congress in April’s $60 billion supplemental budget—following delays of over nine months.
In the interim, Kyiv has overextended its military budget amid efforts to sustain the 1,500-kilometer frontlines against Russian aggression. While additional military aid has trickled in from various EU countries, it has fallen short of meeting Ukraine’s extensive defense needs.
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