The US announced a new military aid?package to Ukraine.

The US Department of Defense on Saturday US local time announced a new security assistance package to Ukraine, committing an additional $988 million in support through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that will provide Ukraine with munitions for rocket systems and Unmanned Aerial Systems, according to the Pentagon website.

Some Chinese observers view this development, occurring near the end of the Biden administration's term, as a strategic effort by the administration to protect its key legacy while creating obstacles for the president-elect ahead of the power transition.

This package also includes support for maintenance and repair programs to help Ukraine reconstitute its forces and build and sustain combat power, such as munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS,) according to an official release by the Pentagon.  

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a public announcement about the move on Saturday, according to the Associated Press, as the report highlighted the delicate timing, saying that it came "as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money it has left to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month," AP reported. 

According to CNN, the package brings total US security assistance to Ukraine to $62 billion since the latest Ukraine crisis broke out nearly three years ago.

CNN also emphasized that though the outgoing defense secretary did not mention Donald Trump by name, his arguments for American engagement internationally contrast sharply with the president-elect's promise of "America first." Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the value of US aid to Ukraine, and Vice President-elect JD Vance has said in the past that Russia is not an existential threat to Europe.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday rejected a White House request to pass $24 billion in additional aid for Ukraine by the end of the year, saying any further assistance for Kiev would be decided by President-elect Trump when he assumes office in January, the Hill reported. 

The current Biden administration, along with the Democratic Party as a whole, is working within its authority to provide increased military aid to Ukraine, partly to create more challenges and uncertainties for a future Republican administration, Song Zhongping, a military expert told the Global Times on Sunday. 

This policy is driven by the belief that the Democratic Party and the Biden administration have made the right decisions in the past, and therefore, they feel obligated to see these policies through. They cannot afford to abandon their plans midway or admit that their previous actions were flawed, Song said.

Since the election campaign stage, the major foreign policy divide between Biden, Trump and their respective parties centers on their approach to Ukraine. Biden views aid to Ukraine as the cornerstone of his administration's legacy and is determined to defend it. By expediting the implementation of aid before the power transition to Trump next month, Biden aims to create additional obstacles for a new Trump administration, which holds opposing views, Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Through maximizing military aid to Ukraine, the current administration seeks to hinder any potential rapprochement between Ukraine and Russia, he said.