Europe intensifies calls for Biden to boost support for Ukraine before leaving office – Bloomberg

Europe has issued a final appeal to the Biden administration to strengthen US support for Ukraine in order to bolster Kyiv's position ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Trump, who will assume office on 20 January, has stated that he is seeking a swift agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, causing concern in Europe that such a deal may be unfavourable for Ukraine and could potentially solidify gains Russia has made since its full-scale invasion in 2022.

European leaders and officials are asking the US to provide Ukraine with more weapons and artillery, implement additional sanctions against key Russian revenue sources and restrict Moscow’s ability to acquire banned technology used in weapons production. Sources familiar with the matter noted that many of these European requests were informal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Brussels on Wednesday to reassure NATO and European Union allies that the US will intensify its support for Ukraine ahead of Trump’s inauguration, given Trump’s critical stance on the scale of US efforts to defend Kyiv.

The resources Blinken referenced, including funds, ammunition and weapons, primarily come from the US$61 billion package passed by the US Congress earlier in 2024. Blinken added that "every dollar at our disposal" would be used.

People familiar with the matter said that despite the dwindling time for Biden to fulfil these requests, the US is already working on new sanctions against Russia’s oil fleet and North Korea, which has reportedly sent troops to assist Moscow in the war, aiming to finalise these measures by the end of November.

Europe has been intensifying its efforts to protect its interests, particularly concerning Ukraine’s military efforts, well before Trump assumes the presidency.

"The next few weeks will be critical to put Ukraine in a strong position," said Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank. He noted that a deal brokered by Trump "may try to freeze the conflict on the lines where Russia now occupies 20% of Ukrainian territory".

"We are going to do as much as we can to support Ukraine before the new team takes over," noted Douglas Bush, the US Army’s Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

Some EU leaders are also urging the US to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike military targets within Russia. 

President Biden, however, has so far resisted this request, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz openly opposes it. People familiar with the US position believe this move would have limited battlefield impact and is not worth the risk of escalation.

Background: 

• US President Joe Biden discussed the importance of maintaining support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression in a meeting with his successor, Donald Trump.
• In addition, Biden’s administration, which is in effect until the inauguration of the new president, intends to send a request to Congress for new aid to Ukraine for the 2025 fiscal year.

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