US President Joe Biden signed a bill to send a long-awaited $61 billion aid package for Ukraine.
“It was a difficult path,” Biden said. “It should have been easier. It should have gotten there sooner. But in the end, we did what America always does: We rose to the moment, came together. We got it done.”
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The Ukraine aid is part of a larger $95 billion package of assistance with $26 billion to support Israel and provide humanitarian relief for Gaza, and $8 billion for Taiwan.
It was approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday, April 20, in a rare bipartisan coalition, 311-112, after months of impasse, and then approved by the Senate in a combined bill in a 79-18 vote on Tuesday before being signed by the US president on Wednesday.
Biden told reporters that he is “making sure the shipments start right away, in the next few hours,” AFP reported.
The package would provide Ukraine with fresh weapons, following reports of Ukrainians having to abandon positions after running short of ammunition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had even gone so far as to say that, without US support, “Ukraine will lose the war.”
The Ukraine aid includes weapons such as HARM anti-radar missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles for Ukraine and their maintenance cost, as well as other associated costs for the US military to support Ukraine’s defense.
Part of the aid to Ukraine, $9 billion, would be in the form of loans, which could be forgiven by the US president up to the year 2026, depending on the circumstances.
The fresh package could help offset the weapon and munition shortage suffered by Kyiv for months, which allowed Russia to seize on the opportunity and renew its offensive across Ukraine, making tactical gains on the eastern front and destroying a number of power stations across the country.
The Ukraine bill also allows Washington to confiscate and sell Russian assets and provide the money to Kyiv to finance reconstruction, a move that has been embraced by other G7 nations.
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