By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue increasing weapons shipments to Ukraine after condemning the Russian Christmas Day attack on the energy system. of Ukraine and some of its cities.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Russia attacked Ukraine on Wednesday with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, Ukraine said. The attacks wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the area’s governors said.
Nearly three years after the war, Washington has committed $175 billion in aid to Ukraine, but it is unclear whether aid will continue at that pace under Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who will replace Biden on Jan. 20. Trump has said he wants to quickly end the war.
KEY QUOTES
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during the winter and jeopardize the security of their grid,” Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Keith Kellogg (NYSE:), Trump’s pick as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, also criticized Wednesday’s attack.
“Christmas should be a time of peace, but Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” Kellogg said. “The United States is more determined than ever to bring peace to the region.”
CONTEXT
During the presidential election campaign, Trump questioned the level of US involvement in the conflict, suggesting that European allies should bear a greater financial burden. Some of his fellow Republicans, who will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate starting next month, have also stopped sending more aid to kyiv.
This stance, despite strong prior support in the US Congress for sustained or expanded support for Ukraine, has raised concerns among Ukraine supporters about the future of US assistance under Trump.