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Biden Announces $2.5 Billion in Fresh Military Aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden speaks at the Company House Hotel, in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
US President Joe Biden speaks at the Company House Hotel, in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
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Biden Announces $2.5 Billion in Fresh Military Aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden speaks at the Company House Hotel, in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
US President Joe Biden speaks at the Company House Hotel, in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

US President Joe Biden announced $2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine on Monday as he uses his final weeks in office to surge military aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes power.
"At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office," Reuters quoted Biden as saying in a statement.
Biden's announcement includes $1.25 billion in military aid drawn from US stockpiles and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, the final USAI package of Biden's time in office.
Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is approaching the three-year mark and recently the Russians have used North Korean troops to bolster their fighting position.
North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties on the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine, with 1,000 of their troops killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.
In a statement, Biden said the new assistance will provide Ukraine with "an immediate influx of capabilities that it continues to use to great effect on the battlefield and longer-term supplies of air defense, artillery, and other critical weapons systems."
Nearly three years into the war, Washington has committed $175 billion in total aid for Ukraine, but it is uncertain if the aid will continue at that pace under Trump, who replaces Biden on Jan. 20. Trump has said he wants to bring the war to a swift end. During the presidential election campaign, Trump questioned the level of US involvement in the conflict, suggesting European allies should bear more of the financial burden.
Some of his fellow Republicans - who will control both the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month - have also cooled on sending more aid to Kyiv.
Biden said the Defense Department is in the process of delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles "which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter."

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Iran Appeals to UN Over 'Tightening Restrictions' on Its Diplomats in New York

The United Nations logo adorns a window at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
The United Nations logo adorns a window at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
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Iran Appeals to UN Over 'Tightening Restrictions' on Its Diplomats in New York

The United Nations logo adorns a window at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
The United Nations logo adorns a window at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Tehran called on the United Nations to intervene in what it called the "tightening of restrictions on Iran's diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York", according to a foreign ministry statement published on Thursday.

The statement also condemned a decision by the US State Department "to prevent the continuation of the activities" of three employees of Iran's mission in New York, Reuters reported.

The statement did not specify when the restrictions had been tightened, but in September, the United States imposed strict limits on the Iranian delegation attending the UN General Assembly in New York, curbing their movement and banning access to wholesale stores and luxury goods.

"The imposition of extensive restrictions on the residence and movement of Iranian diplomats, tightening restrictions on bank accounts, and imposing restrictions on daily purchases are among the pressures and harassment ... to disrupt the normal and legal duties of Iranian diplomats," the statement said.

Prior to the September restrictions, Iranian delegation members were allowed to travel between the United Nations, the Iranian UN mission, the Iranian UN ambassador's residence and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington heightened after the two countries engaged in five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations that ended with a 12-day air war in June in which Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.

World

Somali Defense Minister Rejects Latest Trump Insults 

A demonstrator waves a flag of Somalia as a vehicle passes by a rally in protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans/File Photo
A demonstrator waves a flag of Somalia as a vehicle passes by a rally in protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans/File Photo
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Somali Defense Minister Rejects Latest Trump Insults 

A demonstrator waves a flag of Somalia as a vehicle passes by a rally in protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans/File Photo
A demonstrator waves a flag of Somalia as a vehicle passes by a rally in protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans/File Photo

Somalia's defense minister said Somalis would not accept being demeaned after US President Donald Trump again insulted people from the East African country.

Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday that was meant to focus on his economic record, Trump denounced migration from "Third World" countries.

"We always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, right?" he said. "Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime."

"The only thing they're good at is going after ships," he added, referring to piracy off the Somali coast, Reuters reported.

Last week, Trump described Somalis as "garbage" at a cabinet meeting, saying "they just run around killing each other".

In a text message to Reuters, Somali defense minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said Trump should focus on fulfilling his pledges to American voters "rather than busying himself with Somalia".

While expressing gratitude to the US for its military support in the fight against al Qaeda-linked militants in the country, he rejected Trump's characterisation of Somalis.

"The Somali people are known around the world for their hard work," he said. "They are known for their resilience in the face of adversity. They have faced hardships and many enemies including those who deny their existence, kill them, humiliate and insult them."

"They have overcome all of them and have survived."

Trump stepped up attacks on Somalis after the shooting last month of two National Guard troops in Washington, which led him to promise to freeze migration from poorer countries.

World

Zelenskyy Will Hold Urgent Talks with 30 Countries as Trump Pushes for Swift Peace Deal with Russia

United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
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Zelenskyy Will Hold Urgent Talks with 30 Countries as Trump Pushes for Swift Peace Deal with Russia

United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold urgent talks Thursday with leaders and officials from about 30 countries that are supporting Kyiv’s effort to obtain fair terms for an end to the war with Russia.

The leaders of Germany, Britain and France were among those expected to take part in the meeting of Ukraine's allies, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, via video link.

Zelenskyy indicated the talks were hastily arranged as Kyiv officials scramble to avoid getting boxed in by US President Donald Trump's demands for a swift settlement. European governments are trying to help steer the peace negotiations because they say their own security is at stake.

Trump said Wednesday that he and European leaders discussed proposals by phone in “pretty strong terms,” adding that Zelenskyy “has to be realistic” about his country’s position on a peace plan that would cede Ukrainian territory to Russia. He didn't elaborate.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that he, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested to Trump that they finalize the peace proposals together with US officials over the weekend. There may also be talks in Berlin early next week, with or without American officials, he said.

The main issue to be resolved is “what territories and concessions Ukraine is prepared to make,” Merz added.

“The work we are doing together remains extremely difficult. There is a very simple reason for this. President Putin is relentlessly continuing his brutal war against the Ukrainian civilian population, and at the same time he is clearly playing for time in the negotiations,” Merz said.

There are signs that the negotiations are coming to a crossroads. The talks are at “a critical moment,” European leaders said in a statement Wednesday.

Next week, Ukraine will coordinate with European countries on a bilateral level, Zelenskyy said late Wednesday, and European Union countries are due to hold a regular summit in Brussels at the end of next week.

Russia has new proposals on security Trump’s latest effort to broker a settlement is taking longer than he wanted. He initially set a hard deadline for Kyiv to accept his peace plan before Thanksgiving. Previous Washington deadlines for reaching a peace deal have also passed without making a breakthrough.

Russia is also keen to show Trump it is engaging with his peace efforts, hoping to avoid any further US sanctions. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Russia has relayed to Washington “additional proposals ... concerning collective security guarantees” that Ukraine and Europe say are needed to deter future aggression.

“We understand that when discussing security guarantees, we cannot limit ourselves to Ukraine alone,” Lavrov said. He didn’t offer details of the Kremlin's proposals.

Putin has framed Europe as an obstacle to a peace settlement, and Lavrov again accused Europe of seeking to prolong the war.

He charged that Western Europe “is only thinking about a ceasefire, catching its breath, and once again preparing Zelenskyy” for war.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil rig, disrupt Moscow flights Meanwhile, Ukrainian long-range drones hit a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea for the first time, according to an official in the Security Service of Ukraine who was not authorized to speak publicly about the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The oil rig is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Ukraine, and belongs to Russia’s second biggest oil company, Lukoil, the official told The Associated Press. The rig took four hits, halting the extraction of oil and gas from over 20 wells, he said.

Also, Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks of the nearly four-year war overnight, forcing flights in and out of all four Moscow airports to be halted for seven hours. Airports in eight other cities across Russia also faced restrictions, Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said Thursday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 287 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions.

The display of Ukraine’s military capability to strike deep inside Russia appeared as a counter to the Kremlin’s argument that its invasion is overwhelming for its smaller neighbor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to portray himself as negotiating from a position of strength, analysts say. But since launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has captured only around 20% of Ukraine.