By While Americans, particularly in North Carolina, still struggle to repair their lives after the hurricane, Joe Biden made an announcement that, by now, shouldn’t surprise anyone. The president gave another $2.5 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, “emphasizing his administration’s urgency in utilizing all available funds to support Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office. The aid package includes $1.25 billion in presidential drawdown authority, enabling the rapid transfer of existing U.S. military stockpiles, and $1.22 billion allocated through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) for long-term weapons contracts,” according to The Associated Press.
“I’ve directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.”
While many have pointed out that Biden’s family have long held ties to Ukraine, with the election over and the president handing out pardons left and right, it appears that Joe Biden can no longer hide his outright appearance of corruption and using the office to his family’s personal benefit.
In response to receiving another round of billions from Biden, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova gave First Lady Jill Biden a brooch valued at $14,000, writes The New York Post.
The present was, at least per the official estimate, one of the most expensive gifts given to the first couple in a listing published Thursday in the Federal Register — though it was topped by a diamond gifted to Jill Biden by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worth an estimated $20,000.
US ethics policies require diplomatic gift recipients to relinquish the items unless they purchase them for market value.
The brooch will be “Retained for Official Use in the East Wing,” the disclosure document says.
In a public statement shared on social media, Markarova emphasized the deeper significance of the brooch, insisting that the brooch does not cost that much and should, in effect, be cheaper for the Bidens to purchase.
The value of materials is less than 1 dollar. The meaning of this brooch which turns Russian aggression and our Ukrainian pain into resilience and creation, has no limits. And so does our gratitude to American people supporting us 3 difficult years for Kharkiv, Ukraine and world. pic.twitter.com/HBcVnAHema
— Oksana Markarova (@OMarkarova) January 3, 2025
“The value of materials is less than 1 dollar. The meaning of this brooch which turns Russian aggression and our Ukrainian pain into resilience and creation, has no limits. And so does our gratitude to American people supporting us 3 difficult years for Kharkiv, Ukraine and world.”
Markarova added that the item was “donated… to the Embassy to be presented as a gift.”
The Ukrainian ambassador has done her best to help Biden and his party. In September, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called for her removal after she planned a trip to a Pennsylvania weapons factory that only included Democrats during the heart of the general election campaign.
While the trip likely gave a small boost to Kamala Harris and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, it ended up not making a difference. Both Republicans, Donald Trump for president and Dave McCormick for Senate ended up winning the Keystone State.
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