Europe seeks last-minute Ukraine support from Biden: Bloomberg
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European officials have asked the US to provide more weapons and artillery to Ukraine, impose additional sanctions on key Russian sources of income, and target Moscow's ability to acquire banned weapons.
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Ukrainian troops pack a Vampire drone with food and water to launch toward the frontline to Ukrainian positions near Kharkiv on November 7, 2024. (AP)
Europe has made a final appeal to the outgoing Biden administration to boost US support for Ukraine to strengthen Kiev's position as much as possible before the presidential term ends in January.
According to Bloomberg, European leaders and officials have asked the US to provide more weapons and artillery to Ukraine, impose additional sanctions on key Russian sources of income, and target Moscow's ability to acquire banned technologies used in weapons, according to people familiar with the matter. The sources noted that many of the European requests were informal in nature.
The resources mentioned — money, ammunition, and weapons — mainly come from a $61 billion package approved by the US Congress earlier this year.
Despite the dwindling time for Biden to act on the requests, the US is already working to adopt new sanctions against Russia's oil fleet and the DPRK by the end of November, according to anonymous sources.
Many EU leaders are also pushing the US to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia despite pushback from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Biden, who believe the escalation is not worth the risk.
US rushing weapons to Ukraine before Trump takes office: WSJ
Sources divulged to The Wall Street Journal last week that President Biden's outgoing administration's drive to send billions of dollars in military weapons to Ukraine before leaving office is meeting huge logistical challenges, increasing concerns that the shipments may deplete already-stretched US stocks,
The difficulties highlight how much Donald Trump's victory has hampered the US-led drive to assist Ukraine, which has suffered significant losses against Russia.
Over $7 billion in drawdown authorization, which allows the Pentagon to send weapons and ammunition to Ukraine from its stockpile, remains unspent, as does more than $2 billion to support long-term equipment contracts for Kiev.
Biden administration officials are concerned that Trump's administration may reduce Ukraine's armament supplies to bring Kiev and Moscow to the bargaining table, as he has promised to end the war.
Zelensky stressed out about battlefield setbacks, US elections: NYT
US military and intelligence officials believe the war in Ukraine is “no longer a stalemate” due to Russia’s recent gains on the battlefield, The New York Times (NYT) reported earlier this month.
The report described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as appearing “worn and stressed,” concerned not only about setbacks on the battlefield but also about the results of the US elections, during a meeting with American officials in Kiev last week.
The report added that Ukrainian troops are contending with low morale, limited reinforcements, and an inability to match Russian firepower.
An unnamed Ukrainian major stationed near Russia’s Kursk Region told the NYT that Ukrainian forces are “constantly losing previously occupied positions,” with Russian forces enjoying an advantage in manpower and artillery.
Despite these challenges, US officials believe that Ukrainians might capitalize on “Russia’s weaknesses” if American support “remains strong until next summer,” the report pointed out.
Zelensky has expressed that Kiev has effectively become “a hostage” to the volatile US election cycle, calling on Ukraine's foreign allies to intensify their support to help bring the conflict to a close “as soon as possible.”
Trump has frequently referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “the greatest salesman on Earth,” emphasizing throughout his campaign that he could end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if re-elected. Trump has consistently argued that Ukraine is incapable of achieving a military victory over Russia, positioning himself as a potential peacemaker capable of swiftly resolving the conflict.
