Ahead of the Ramstein Meeting, Biden Administration Announces Potential Additional Aid to Ukraine

The White House says Ukraine can expect more aid in the remaining weeks of Joe Biden's administration. According to John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, new U.S. assistance to Ukraine is expected to be announced in the coming days. He did not provide further details. Previously, it was believed that the recent $5.9 billion aid package from the U.S. to Ukraine would be the last under the current administration. The new package comes amid concerns about the potential halt or significant reduction of U.S. aid to Ukraine with the onset of Donald Trump's presidency. Mr. Trump has stated he will end the war between Russia and Ukraine; however, he has not elaborated on this. Meanwhile, the White House and Pentagon announced that Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, will soon travel to Germany to participate in a meeting of countries supporting Ukraine, known as the Ramstein meeting. Initially, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the date of this meeting as January 9 (21 Dey), which was later confirmed by U.S. and Ukrainian officials. This meeting, chaired by Lloyd Austin at the Ramstein Air Base, will be the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his readiness for this meeting and stated he would continue efforts to persuade allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defense against Russian missiles and guided bombs. Just hours before the release of the Ukrainian President's video message, the Russian government vowed to retaliate against Ukraine's attack on its border area. Russia accused the Ukrainian army of attacking the Belgorod region in Russian territory with U.S. ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers. According to Russia, these attacks occurred last Friday. The government of Vladimir Putin has previously shown sensitivity to Kyiv's use of long-range American missiles in the war and promised retaliation. Recently, Donald Trump appointed Keith Klag as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Reuters reported, citing two sources, that Mr. Klag will travel to Kyiv in the coming days and then to several European capitals; however, Mr. Trump's transition team has not yet confirmed this news. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President announced that in the latest clashes in the Kursk region, North Korean soldiers suffered heavy losses and casualties. According to estimates from Ukraine and the West, about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in the Kursk region of Russia, parts of which have come under Ukrainian control. Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his video message that the recent clashes occurred near the Russian village of Makhnoivka, not far from the Ukrainian border. He mentioned that in the clashes on Friday and Saturday in this area, the Russian army lost 'a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers as well as Russian paratroopers,' which is 'notable.' The Ukrainian President did not provide specific details or statistics on this; the number of soldiers in a battalion can vary but generally consists of several hundred troops. Mr. Zelensky had also reported heavy casualties among North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region last week and stated that North Korea executed some of its soldiers to prevent them from being captured by Ukraine. Clashes in some fronts of the war between Russia and Ukraine have intensified in recent weeks and months, and according to Volodymyr Zelensky, the most challenging situation is near the city of Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk, located in eastern Ukraine, which has the largest coal mines in the country surrounding it, has been effectively besieged by Russian forces for months. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.