By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to resume a surge in arms deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia’s Christmas attack on the country’s energy system. Ukraine and some of its cities.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Russia attacked Ukraine on Wednesday with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, Ukraine said. The strikes injured at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the Dnipropetrovsk region, governors there said.

Nearly three years into the war, Washington has provided $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, but it is uncertain whether aid will continue at that pace under Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who replaced Biden on January 20. Trump said he wanted the war to end quickly.

GOOD QUOTE

“The purpose of this horrific attack is to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during the winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” said Biden, a Democrat. , in a statement.

Keith Kellogg (NYSE: ), Trump’s pick for 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 US 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 more of the financial burden. Some of his fellow Republicans – who will control the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month – have also cooled on sending more aid to Kyiv.

This stance – despite previous strong support in the US Congress for continued or expanded support for Ukraine – has raised concerns among supporters of Ukraine about the future of US aid under Trump.