Biden is sending aid to help Ukraine keep fighting next year, Blinken says

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration is determined in its final months to help ensure that Ukraine can keep fighting off Russia's full-scale invasion next year, sending it as much aid as possible so that it might hold Russian forces at bay and possess a strong hand in any potential peace negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and Jan. 20,” when President-elect Donald Trump is due to be sworn in, Blinken said.

NATO countries must focus their efforts on “ensuring that Ukraine has the money, munitions and mobilized forces to fight effectively in 2025, or to be able to negotiate a peace from a position of strength,” Blinken said during a visit to Brussels.

The U.S. will “adapt and adjust” with the latest equipment it is sending, Blinken said, without providing details.

The almost three-year war has shown no signs of winding down.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday. That came a day after the State Department said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow's war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine's army off Russian soil in the Kursk border region.

Ukraine is also straining to hold back a monthslong Russian onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region.

Political uncertainty over how a U.S. administration under Trump will change Washington’s policy on the war is a key new factor in the conflict. U.S. military aid is vital for Ukraine, but Trump has signaled that he doesn’t want to keep giving tens of billions of dollars to Kyiv.

Air raid warnings blared for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.

Air defenses downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. The damage was being assessed.

Meanwhile, most of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to help Moscow in the war are engaged in combat in Russia's Kursk border region, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Tuesday. A Ukrainian army incursion into Kursk three months ago has succeeded in holding a broad area of land and has embarrassed the Kremlin.

Russia’s military has trained the North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone skills and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, Patel said. The cooperation faces challenges, including how to achieve military interoperability and overcoming the language barrier, he said.

Kyiv officials say that Russia has deployed around 50,000 troops to Kursk in a bid to dislodge the Ukrainians.

Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation isn't known.

Cook reported from Brussels.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This story has been corrected to show that a spokesman from the State Department, not the Pentagon, provided information about North Korean soldiers in Russia.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, in Brussels, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, waits for the start of a meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, the Russian army's multiple rocket launcher Solntsepyok fires towards Ukrainian positions in the border area of Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, in Brussels, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, left, waits for the start of a meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, the Russian army's multiple rocket launcher Solntsepyok fires towards Ukrainian positions in the border area of Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda French Gates is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts to two nonprofit organizations to help spur donations on GivingTuesday, which has become a major annual fundraising day for nonprofits.

For more than a decade, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, charitable organizations have asked for donations or other support from their networks.

“It’s a great time to remind people that we’re better off when we give something back and we all have something to give back,” said French Gates in an interview, speaking about her enthusiasm for GivingTuesday. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was an early supporter of GivingTuesday, which started as a hashtag and a project at the 92nd Street Y in New York and has since become its own organization.

Last year, donors gave an estimated $3.1 billion on GivingTuesday, but the overall number of people who participated declined. Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday, who calculated that estimate, said matches like French Gates' help catalyze people to give.

“We really share a commitment to the idea also that philanthropy is not just in the hands of the ultra wealthy," she said. "That it really takes everyone to contribute to a healthy society through generosity.”

Una Osili, associate dean at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, says that even if fewer households are giving, donations may be holding steady because those who donate are giving more.

“The optimist in me would certainly say there are lots of reasons to think that giving will at least hold steady," Osili said. "But what we’ve seen in the past few years is that inflation especially, even though it’s moderated, is a concern for many everyday households.”

French Gates, through her organization Pivotal, plans to match up to $500,000 in donations to two organizations — Vote Mama Foundation, which supports mothers running for political office, and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, which advocates for people caring for others. The organizations have 10 days to raise the funds and will direct donors to give through the nonprofit crowdfunding platform Every.org, which will track the donations that will be matched.

“This was Melinda. This was a complete surprise to us,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation.

Her organization wants to make it easier for mothers to hold political office, from local school boards to the Senate. She founded the organization after running for Congress in 2018 when she successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission to use campaign funds to pay for childcare. Now, all federal candidates can pay for childcare with campaign funds and many states have passed similar laws.

“It’s used by men. It’s used by women. It’s used by moms and dads and Democrats and Republicans,” Grechen Shirley said. “But the majority of funds are used by women, and a majority of those funds are used by women of color. So it really does have the ability to transform the political landscape.”

Through her giving and advocacy, French Gates has championed paid family leave, support for caregivers and making child care less expensive. She endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race but said that Harris' defeat won't stop her from continuing her work.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers is one of the first organizations to speak out about the work of caregiving, French Gates said. Paurvi Bhatt, who leads the institute, said French Gates had a long and cherished relationship with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away last year.

“It is based on a hand-in-glove relationship we’ve had for a number of years,” Bhatt said of the matching gift.

This public match on GivingTuesday is the latest commitment French Gates has made since stepping down from the Gates Foundation in May. (French Gates and Bill Gates, her ex-husband and the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, announced their divorce in 2021.) She pledged $1 billion to support women and families over two years. That included $250 million to support improving women's health globally and she gave 12 leaders each $20 million to distribute to nonprofit organizations of their choice before the end of 2026.

“The reason I’ve come out so strongly saying, ‘This is what I am doing next,’ is because I wanted people to know I’m not going away,” said French Gates. “My values are still here. And this work around ‘How do we make a more equitable society?’ There is so much work to be done in the United States.”

The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce and in statehouses from Pivotal Ventures.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Asha Curran, the CEO of GivingTuesday, poses for a photo on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Asha Curran, the CEO of GivingTuesday, poses for a photo on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FILE - Melinda French Gates speaks at the Seminar: Digital Public Infrastructure: Stacking up the Benefits, during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)