U.S. President Joe Biden asks Defense Department to quickly ship weapons to Ukraine after Russian attack Christmas attack energy infrastructure of its smaller neighbours.

Biden’s comments on Wednesday came as his administration scrambles to provide military aid to Ukraine ahead of his election as president Donald Trump’s inauguration January 20th. Here’s a look at the U.S. commitments to Ukraine since Trump was elected in November, and why Biden is rushing to get money and supplies to Ukraine.

What happened to the Christmas attacks in Ukraine?

On Wednesday, Russia attacked Ukraine with drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The attack wounded at least six people in Kharkiv and killed one in Dnipropetrovsk, according to local authorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia “deliberately chose Christmas” to launch an attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“What could be more inhumane?” Zelensky asked in an X post on Wednesday.

Ukraine previously celebrated Christmas on January 7 according to the Orthodox calendar, like Russia, and for the past two years, like the West, it celebrated Christmas on December 25 during Russia’s war against the country.

Keith KelloggTrump, who appointed him as his special envoy for the Ukraine war, condemned the attack and said: “Christmas should be a time of peace, but Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” adding that the United States was committed to Bring peace to Ukraine.

Every major Russian attack takes time to prepare. It was never a spontaneous decision. It was a carefully considered choice—not only the choice of target, but also the choice of time and date.

Today, Putin specifically chose Christmas as a target. What could be more inhumane than this? More than 70 missiles… pic.twitter.com/GMD8rTomoX

— Vladimir Zelensky/Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024

What did Biden say?

Biden issued a statement Wednesday condemning the Russian attack.

“The purpose of this brazen attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s heating and electricity supply during the winter and to compromise the security of their power grid,” the statement said.

The statement also said: “In recent months, the United States has provided hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, and more are on the way. I have directed the Department of Defense to continue to provide Ukraine with large quantities of weapons.”

It’s the latest of many promises Biden has made since Trump took office election victory Vice President Kamala Harris against Biden. The Biden administration has since scrambled to provide military support to Ukraine before Trump took office.

How much aid does Ukraine receive from the United States?

According to a fact sheet released by the White House on December 2, the United States has committed $61.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of all-out war in Russia on February 24, 2022.

On December 2, the Biden administration announced a $725 million military assistance package, including ammunition, surface-to-air missile systems, small arms, spare parts and explosive equipment. This was issued by the Presidential Divestment Administration (PDA) approved by the U.S. Congress.

America’s Commitment $988 million in military aid Fly to Ukraine on December 7th. The package includes drones and ammunition High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)which the United States had earlier provided to Ukraine. This was not a PDA but was sent by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

Then, on December 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiling A $500 million military aid package to Kyiv, including HIMARS ammunition, drones and armored vehicles. This is also sent from a PDA.

How much more military aid can Biden provide to Ukraine?

With Republicans controlling both chambers of the new Congress that took office earlier this year, it is unlikely that Biden, the Democrat, will win approval for new funding for Ukraine. Trump and many Republicans loyal to him have made clear they oppose a “blank check” in funding Ukraine.

Even without additional approvals, Biden’s administration plans to use significant funding to get as much aid to Ukraine as possible before the 82-year-old hands over the keys to the White House to Trump.

As of the end of November, there were $4 billion to $5 billion left in PDA. Even if Biden subsequently pledges $1.5 billion, the outgoing president will still have plenty of funding sources to try to get into Ukraine.

From August 2022 to December 12 this year, the Biden administration used PDA to provide assistance to Ukraine 55 times.

In addition, there is approximately $2.2 billion available to Biden under USAI.

Why is the Biden administration rushing to provide aid to Ukraine?

Trump has question U.S. financial involvement in Ukraine.

At a campaign event in Georgia in September, Trump cited a fabricated statistic and said: “Every time Zelensky comes to the United States, he leaves with $100 billion.”

“Unless I’m president, we’re going to be in this war,” he told the rally.

The president-elect has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, raising concerns that he could cut support for Kyiv once he takes office.

On December 13, US national security spokesman John Kirby said that Biden would “continue to provide additional packages until the end of this administration’s term.”