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The Biden administration is asking Congress for a massive new $33 billion funding request to bolster Ukraine’s military as its war with Russia enters its ninth week, ensuring that Washington, and Europe, remain all in on beating back Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.
The package, which is by far the largest single funding proposal of the war and dwarfs the annual defense budgets of most nations, comes as Ukraine and Russia face off in a pivotal battle in Ukraine’s east that will rely on high-tech weaponry such as drones, aircraft and long-range artillery, all things that NATO countries have pumped into the country in recent weeks.
The proposal includes more than $20 billion in new military and security assistance, including new authority to quickly transfer weapons to Ukraine out of military stocks and supercharging a Pentagon program to arm its military. The administration is also proposing billions in economic and humanitarian aid as part of the package.
The massive dollar amount requested also sends a signal to Russia that the United States intends to back Ukraine in the fight for the long run. It will also likely boost Ukrainians who say they want to defeat Russia, not merely settle for a long-term stalemate.
The $20 billion in military aid includes $5 billion in additional authority to transfer weapons and equipment to Ukraine from U.S. inventories, $6 billion for the Ukraine security assistance initiative and $4 billion for the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing program.
“The president’s funding request is what we believe is needed to enable Ukraine’s success over the next five months of this war,” an administration official told reporters on a call Wednesday. “And we have every expectation that our partners and allies … will continue to provide comparable levels of assistance going forward.”
The latest request comes after Congress approved nearly $14 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine last month, including billions to fund deployments of thousands more U.S. troops in Europe and to replenish depleted U.S. stocks of weapons shipped to Kyiv.
The package, which is by far the largest single funding proposal of the war and dwarfs the annual defense budgets of most nations, comes as Ukraine and Russia face off in a pivotal battle in Ukraine’s east that will rely on high-tech weaponry such as drones, aircraft and long-range artillery, all things that NATO countries have pumped into the country in recent weeks.
The proposal includes more than $20 billion in new military and security assistance, including new authority to quickly transfer weapons to Ukraine out of military stocks and supercharging a Pentagon program to arm its military. The administration is also proposing billions in economic and humanitarian aid as part of the package.
The massive dollar amount requested also sends a signal to Russia that the United States intends to back Ukraine in the fight for the long run. It will also likely boost Ukrainians who say they want to defeat Russia, not merely settle for a long-term stalemate.
The $20 billion in military aid includes $5 billion in additional authority to transfer weapons and equipment to Ukraine from U.S. inventories, $6 billion for the Ukraine security assistance initiative and $4 billion for the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing program.
“The president’s funding request is what we believe is needed to enable Ukraine’s success over the next five months of this war,” an administration official told reporters on a call Wednesday. “And we have every expectation that our partners and allies … will continue to provide comparable levels of assistance going forward.”
The latest request comes after Congress approved nearly $14 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine last month, including billions to fund deployments of thousands more U.S. troops in Europe and to replenish depleted U.S. stocks of weapons shipped to Kyiv.
White House sends Congress $33B request for Ukraine
The package is by far the largest single funding proposal of the war.
www.politico.com