The US Congress follows Joe Biden in his unwavering support for Kiev and is working to release a colossal new package of nearly $40 billion for Ukraine, with the first vote to approve that package likely to take place later in the day.
These funds will allow Ukraine to equip itself with tanks, strengthen its anti-aircraft defences and combat cyber-attacks at a time when fighting is still raging in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
Several billion dollars are also planned to ensure "the continuity of Ukrainian democratic institutions", as well as a large amount of humanitarian aid.
The $33 billion
Since the start of the war, Washington has promised or already delivered to Kiev more than $3.7 billion worth of arms and ammunition, and in March Congress approved $13.6 billion in humanitarian, economic and military aid to Ukraine by the end of September. Biden is calling for Congress to approve a $33 billion aid package, of which $20 billion would be for military aid.
But on Monday night, Democratic and Republican leaders agreed to go a step further, reaching a compromise on a $40 billion package, equivalent to Cameroon's GDP in 2020.
Elected members of the House of Representatives may give their assent to this budget as early as tonight, ahead of a vote in the Senate at the end of the week or early next week.
"Getting this emergency funding approved quickly is essential to help the Ukrainian people in their fight against a relentless Putin," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer insisted today. He stressed that the US has a "moral obligation" to stand with "our friends in Ukraine."
Approval of this package is a rarity in a Congress so used to political infighting: these measures enjoy broad bipartisan support.
In a statement yesterday, the US president urged Congress to "immediately" pass such funding, speaking of urgency.
US intelligence chief Avril Haynes warned at a congressional hearing today that Putin is preparing for a protracted war in Ukraine and counting on reducing Western support for Kiev. The Russian president is "probably counting on a weakening of the resolve of the United States and the European Union when food shortages and rising energy prices worsen," he warned."
However, according to Biden, U.S. resources to help Ukraine will run out within ten days. "We cannot allow aid distributions to stop pending a congressional decision," he said."
These funds should also allow Americans to replenish their own weapons stockpiles.
A traditional foreign policy ally of US presidents, Congress has already released nearly $14 billion for the Ukraine crisis in mid-March after hearing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compare the war in his country to the darkest hours of American history, Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks.
Joe Biden, who regularly expresses his desire to lead the great struggle of democracies against authoritarian regimes, signed a law yesterday Monday that triggers a Roosevelt-era measure to speed up deliveries of military equipment to Kiev, speaking of "another important tool in our efforts to support the government and people of Ukraine in their struggle to defend their country and their democracy in this brutal war of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin."
After being limited to weapons considered defensive, Washington is now sending artillery, helicopters and drones to the Ukrainian army, whose soldiers are trained in the use of these weapons in the US or third countries before returning to the front lines.
Source: protothema.gr
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