President Joe Biden will ask the US Congress for additional funding of $33 billion intended to support Ukraine in the coming months as the war with Russia enters a new phase.
The order includes $20.4 billion for military and security assistance – with $5 billion in additional looting -, $6 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and $4 billion for the Military Financing Program. State Department foreigner, a senior government official told reporters.
The official said a portion of the $20 billion in military assistance could be used to fill other countries’ munitions and equipment contributions, allowing those countries to “fully defend themselves”. The official characterized the initiative in the context of Biden’s effort to rally the world in support of Ukraine.
Also included in the request is $8.5 billion in economic assistance “to help the government of Ukraine respond to the immediate crisis and continue to provide basic services to the Ukrainian people,” the official said. A White House fact sheet suggested the funding would also help combat Russian disinformation and propaganda narratives and support independent media.
Additional humanitarian assistance and food security funding will also be included, worth $3 billion, including “wheat and other commodities” for those in need, according to the official. Part of this funding will go towards job training, mental health services and resources for US school districts to help support Ukrainians arriving in the US and other efforts to support Ukrainian refugees and the countries that host them.
It also includes targeted funding “to address the economic disruptions at home and around the world due to Putin’s aggression,” which will help increase US food production such as soybeans, as well as funding to allow for the use of the Food Act. Defense production to expand the US. production of critical reserves of minerals and other materials disturbed by war.
The president announced last week that the US would send an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine as Russia refocuses its campaign to conquer new territory in the country’s eastern region. Biden argued that Russia’s war has entered what he called a “critical window,” making Western military aid even more essential.
If approved, the package announced last week would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb.
The president said the package announced last week included heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers – long-range weapons – and 144,000 rounds of ammunition for those howitzers and more tactical drones.
The US announced earlier this month another security assistance package worth about $800 million. This package included Mi-17 helicopters, Switchblade drones, chemical attack protection equipment, Javelin anti-tank missiles, M113 armored vehicles, counter-artillery radars, and armor and helmets.
In addition to military aid to Ukraine, the US and its NATO allies have issued a series of sanctions against Russia. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada have introduced sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and banned certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that facilitates payments between 11,000 financial institutions in 200 countries. .
Biden announced a ban on Russian imports of oil, natural gas and coal into the United States. The House of Representatives also passed a bill to suspend normal trade relations with Russia.
*in update
Source: CNN Brasil
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