US Congress approves $40bn for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: US Congress approved a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, the latest tranche of assistance under President Joe Biden’s promise of unwavering support for Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

The vote was an unusually bipartisan move for harshly divided Washington. “Aid for Ukraine goes far beyond charity,” Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said. “The future of American security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight,” he said ahead of the vote.

The bundle includes $6 billion earmarked for Ukraine to boost its armored vehicle inventory and air defense system. Nearly $9 billion is set aside to help with Ukrainian “continuity of government,” among other items, including humanitarian aid.

Congress already approved almost $14 billion for Ukraine in mid-March, only weeks after Russia’s invasion. As fighting has shifted away from the capital and to the eastern and southern parts of the country, Biden has been calling for another round of financial support for weeks.

The US president has often repeated his desire to lead in what he depicts as a great struggle of democracy against authoritarianism. He said funds already designated for Ukraine support were about to run out. The US House of Representatives had already approved the $40 billion package last week.

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Such bipartisan support is rare in a Congress often divided along party lines. “When it comes to Putin, either we pay now or we pay later,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who earlier in the conflict took to Twitter to call for the Russian president to be assassinated.

Though it originally intended to send only weapons of defence, Washington has since supplied artillery, helicopters and drones to the Ukrainian army, whose troops are trained to use them in the United States or third countries before heading back to the front line.

Another $9 billion of the latest package is also set to help the United States re-supply its own weapons back-stock. The Senate has also confirmed Bridget Brink, a career diplomat, as the next US ambassador to Ukraine. The position had been vacant since 2019.