U.S. Senate Backs $60 Billion Aid Package for Ukraine
The United States Senate has approved, by a majority vote, a comprehensive bill allocating $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Seventy senators voted in favour of the document, while 29 voted against it. This information is available on the Senate's website.
The approved bill combines funds to support Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as humanitarian aid, with a total amount exceeding $95 billion. Of this, $60 billion is designated for assistance to Ukraine, with nearly $50 billion allocated for military support to the country. These funds include:
- $19.85 billion for replenishing U.S. military equipment provided to Ukraine from the U.S. Department of Defence's stocks;
- $13.8 billion for rearming Ukraine through the purchase of weapons and ammunition from the U.S. defence-industrial base;
- $14.8 billion for military training, intelligence sharing, bolstering presence in the European Command's area of responsibility, and other support measures;
- $8 million for the Department of Defence Inspector General to continue oversight of U.S. assistance to Ukraine;
- $1.6 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to meet the needs of Ukraine and other regional partners in anti-air defence, artillery, maritime security, technical servicing, and support;
- $300 million for assisting Ukraine in border defence and advancing rule of law;
- $100 million for supporting demining programs, combating terrorism, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The rest of the funds are allocated for economic and financial support, nuclear security, humanitarian issues, and so on.
Now, the bill must be supported by the United States House of Representatives. Currently, its Speaker, Mike Johnson, opposes considering the bill in its current form, but there is a procedure for bypassing the speaker and putting it to a vote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked American lawmakers for adopting the $60 billion aid bill for Ukraine. "Grateful to Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, and all U.S. senators who supported the continuation of assistance to Ukraine in our struggle for freedom, democracy, and values that are of paramount importance to all of us. American aid brings a fair peace to Ukraine and restores global stability, promoting greater security and prosperity for all Americans and the entire free world," Zelensky emphasized in his tweet.
Volodymyr Zelensky also noted that further assistance from the United States helps save Ukrainian lives from Russian aggression.