Biden administration officials worry that the new administration may reduce aid shipments, potentially pressuring Ukraine toward negotiations. They aim to strengthen Kyiv’s position and defensive capabilities. A Pentagon representative noted that before the election, the administration had planned to deliver the remaining aid by April. Now, officials are pushing to send as much support as possible by January.

In response to intensified Russian airstrikes, the Pentagon is sending Ukraine over 500 interceptors for the Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, expected to arrive "in the coming weeks," according to a senior Biden administration official quoted by WSJ. Another source added that these shipments should meet Ukraine's air defense needs for the rest of the year.

For the first time since the full-scale war began, the Biden administration has also decided to deploy a "small number" of U.S. military contractors to Ukraine to assist with maintenance and repairs of F-16s and other Pentagon-supplied weapons, as reported by WSJ.

Typically, arms deliveries to Ukraine take weeks or even months, and the recent surge "raises significant concerns" regarding U.S. military stockpiles, according to a WSJ source. The U.S. is considering alternatives, including purchasing weapons from other countries to supply Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently denied a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to prioritize Ukraine over other buyers for ATACMS missile systems. According to a WSJ source, Austin told Zelensky that breaking longstanding commitments to other clients would be "too big an ask."