The Biden administration has announced its intention to provide $250 million in aid to Ukraine to support its ongoing conflict with Russia. The U.S. Department of State has stated that this assistance will be distributed without lawmakers’ approval. It will be interesting to see the impact of this aid on the situation between Ukraine and Russia.
“A coalition of more than 50 countries continues to provide critical support for Ukraine’s forces,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “It is imperative that Congress act swiftly, as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future.”
The Biden administration is urging Congress to approve a multibillion-dollar national security supplemental package. However, Republican lawmakers are tying the additional $60 billion aid to Ukraine to changes in border security policies. They want these changes to be made before passing the aid. It seems like there’s a political standoff happening around this issue.
The package provides military equipment like air defense weapons, artillery ammo, anti-armor gear, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition.
“Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine,” Defense Department comptroller Mike McCord wrote in a letter, first obtained by Bloomberg News, to Congress’s defense committees last week.
“It is essential that Congress act without delay on the Administration’s pending supplemental request,” the letter read. “Doing so is in our clear national interest, and our assistance is vitally needed so Ukraine can continue its fight for freedom and to ensure Russia continues to fail in Ukraine.”
The federal government has provided more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. Out of that, over $46 billion has been designated for military assistance. The $250 million aid falls under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, allowing the president to allocate defense resources without seeking congressional approval for each transfer. Recent polling shows that support for sending financial aid to Ukraine has decreased from 63% in January to 54% now.
