President Zelensky said the $61 billion aid shows that the US is always with Ukraine and that the country will not become “the second Afghanistan”.
After months of delay, the US House of Representatives on April 20 voted to pass a foreign aid bill worth $95 billion, including nearly $61 billion for Ukraine. The Senate began considering the bill on April 23 and is almost certain to pass it, clearing the way for President Joe Biden to sign it into law.
“This aid will strengthen Ukraine and send a strong signal to the Kremlin that this will not be the second Afghanistan. America will stand with Ukraine, protect Ukrainians, and defend democracy around the world.” world,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 21.
The US in August 2021 withdrew all forces from Afghanistan, ending a nearly 20-year military campaign in this country. Losing support from the US, Afghan forces were exhausted and no longer able to resist when confronting the Taliban, losing control of the country to this force.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said some of his forces were also “exhausted”. “We need to reform them. But with new brigades, they need equipment,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Vilnius, Lithuania, on April 11. Image: AFP
The US has been the main military aid provider to Ukraine since the country’s conflict with Russia broke out in February 2022. However, the US Congress has been unable to approve large-scale aid to Ukraine for nearly a year and a half, mainly due to obstacles from the Republican party.
Delayed aid from the US has caused many difficulties for Ukrainian forces. This nearly 61 billion USD aid bill is what the Ukrainian government has expected and had to convince the US Congress many times.
In the 60.84 billion USD package for Ukraine, about 23 billion USD will be used by the US to replenish military reserves, creating conditions for continued military transfers to Ukraine in the future. $14 billion will go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, in which the Pentagon purchases advanced new weapons systems for the Ukrainian military directly from American contractors.
$11 billion is used to fund current US military operations in the region, improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian military and strengthen intelligence cooperation between Kiev and Washington. About $8 billion is for non-military assistance, helping the Ukrainian government maintain basic operations such as paying salaries and pensions.
