US announces $2.5 bn security package for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: The United States announced on Monday a $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before president-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump's November election victory has cast doubt on the future of American support for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorised assistance to be disbursed before he is sworn in next month. Monday's aid includes a $1.25 billion military "drawdown package", which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from US stocks and send them quickly to the battlefield. An additional $1.22 billion will be funded via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which military equipment is procured from the defence industry or partners.

"Today, I am proud to announce nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, as the Ukrainian people continue to defend their independence and freedom from Russian aggression," President Joe Biden said in a statement. The drawdowns from the defence department shelves will involve drones, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), optically guided missiles, anti-tank weapons systems, air-to-ground munitions and spare parts, according to a separate statement from the US State Department. "The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russia's aggression," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov hailed the fresh aid package in a post on social media. "The US is a key ally of Ukraine, providing us with invaluable assistance. Together, we will win!" he wrote. The latest assistance for Ukraine follows an announcement at the beginning of the month of a nearly $1 billion tranche of drones, ammunition and equipment. The outgoing Biden administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump -- who has repeatedly criticised US assistance for Kyiv and claimed he could secure a ceasefire within hours -- takes over in January.

Ukraine said on Monday it had sentenced a former police officer to 15 years behind bars on high treason charges for passing the location of air defence units to Russia. Kyiv has opened thousands of probes against Ukrainians suspected of collaborating with Russian forces since Moscow launched its full-scale attack of Ukraine in February 2022. Prosecutors said the resident of the industrial Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow claims is part of Russia, had communicated the positions of air defence units to a former classmate, now in the Russian military. "The man travelled around the city of Zaporizhzhia and its outskirts to establish the locations of air defence positions, personnel, and defence forces' equipment," the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said in a statement.

It added that the man had also gathered information on the locations of defence industry facilities in the region. Zaporizhzhia, which had a population of around 700,000 people in 2022, has come under persistent Russian aerial attacks. Ukraine has urged its Western allies to bolster its air defence systems to thwart Russian attacks on critical infrastructure such as energy facilities.

Meanwhile, The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia called on Monday for the immediate and unconditional release of Alexei Gorinov, the first person convicted for speaking out against Moscow's war in Ukraine. "I am outraged by the severity of the punishments imposed on peaceful anti-war voices in today's Russia. Alexei Gorinov is paying an incredibly high price for exercising his freedom of speech," Mariana Katzarova said. Katzarova's latest report to the council found that laws were being systematically used to target peaceful protesters and dissenting voices in Russia.