Biden sends aid to help Ukraine continue fighting next year, Blinken says

kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration is determined in its final months to ensure that Ukraine can continue fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion next year, sending it as much as much aid as possible so it can keep Russian forces at bay and have a strong hand in any potential peace negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

“President Biden is committed to making sure every dollar we have is out the door by January 20,” when President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be sworn in, Blinken said.

NATO countries must focus their efforts on “ensuring that Ukraine has the money, munitions and mobilized forces to fight effectively in 2025, or to be able to negotiate peace from a position of strength,” he said. Blinken said during a visit to Brussels.

The United States will “adapt and adjust” to the latest equipment it sends, Blinken said, without providing details.

The war, which has lasted for almost three years, shows no signs of slowing down.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital kyiv on Wednesday with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days. It comes a day after the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow’s war effort are fighting to drive the Ukrainian army from Russian soil in the Kursk border region.

Ukraine is also struggling to contain a month-long Russian attack in the eastern Donetsk region.

A key new factor in the conflict is political uncertainty over how the Trump-led US administration will change Washington’s war policy. US military aid is vital to Ukraine, but Trump has indicated he does not want to continue giving tens of billions of dollars to kyiv.

Air raid alerts sounded for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, Ukraine’s air force said.

Air defense downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. The damage was being assessed.

The air assault came as most of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to help Moscow in the war are engaged in fighting in Russia’s Kursk border region, according to the Pentagon. A Ukrainian army incursion into Kursk three months ago managed to control a large area of ​​territory and embarrassed the Kremlin.

The Russian military has trained North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, deputy Pentagon spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday. from a press briefing. According to the Pentagon, the cooperation faces challenges, including achieving military interoperability and overcoming the language barrier.

kyiv officials say Russia has deployed about 50,000 troops to Kursk to try to dislodge the Ukrainians.

In recent months, Russia has been gathering forces for a counteroffensive at Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, although the timetable for the operation is not known.

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Lorne Cook reported from Brussels.

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