Photo: EPA/TASS
Moscow. April 24. INTERFAX.RU – US President Joe Biden signed a package of bills previously approved by the US Congress on additional financial assistance to Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
“I just signed a funding package that the House of Representatives approved over the weekend and the Senate yesterday. It will strengthen the security of the United States and the entire world,” Biden said during an address to fellow citizens.
“In the coming hours, we will begin sending weapons to Ukraine. We are talking about ammunition for air defense systems and artillery, missiles, and armored vehicles,” Biden added.
He said that this aid package is “an investment not only in the security of Ukraine, but also in Europe and the United States.”
The law on assistance to Ukraine provides for the allocation of approximately $61 billion to Kyiv. According to the document, assistance to Kyiv will now be provided not free of charge, but on credit.
Not all of the proposed amount will go towards the transfer of weapons. More than $20 billion is used to replenish US military arsenals. Another part of the money will be spent to finance the activities of the American military near Ukraine. About $14 billion will be spent on Ukraine purchasing its own weapons.
In addition, the package includes a law allocating additional military assistance to Israel in the amount of about $26.4 billion. Of the allocated funds, $9.1 billion will go to humanitarian needs.
Assistance will also be provided to US allies in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, $8.1 billion will be allocated “to counter China,” and another $2 billion will be allocated to finance Taiwan and other allies.
The package also includes a law providing for the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Russia, China, Iran, including the transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Kyiv, and blocking the TikTok social network, owned by the private Chinese company ByteDance.
In February, the Senate approved a $95 billion emergency spending package, including $60 billion to support Ukraine, as well as funds for Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
However, House Republicans advocated splitting aid to Israel, Ukraine and other US allies. The House speaker refused to consider the Senate-passed package, demanding that Democrats first support tough reforms to immigration policy.
