US President Biden approves $350 million military aid for Ukraine

Europe, News, US February 26, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. President Joe Biden instructed the U.S. State Department to immediately release $350 million in military aid to Ukraine on February 25 as it struggles to repulse a Russian invasion.

In a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden directed that $350 million are to be allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues for a third consecutive day, the U.S. administration turns to its Congress for approval of a $6.4 billion fund as a response to the ongoing situation. The funds would largely be used for military and humanitarian assistance in the region.

According to White House sources, $2.9 billion would go towards security assistance, humanitarian aid, and economic stabilization while $3.5 billion would be used by Pentagon as their response to the ongoing crisis as well as countering the possibility of large-scale cyberattacks.

“As the President and bipartisan members of Congress have made it clear, the United States is committed to supporting the Ukrainian people as they defend their country and democracy,” an official from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.

^{U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about his Build Back Better agenda and the bipartisan infrastructure deal during a speech from the East Room of the White House in Washington, on October 28, 2021. (Image Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)}

Earlier on February 24, U.S. President Joe Biden announced further economic sanctions against Russia, as well as the deployment of additional U.S. troops to Europe, however, Biden repeatedly said that no U.S. forces would be sent into Ukraine.

The United States and several other western countries announced their severe sanctions packages against Russia. The economic sanctions predominantly targeted Russian banks that are holding more than $1 trillion of Russia’s assets, including the country’s largest bank, Sberbank.

Some European Union members and the U.S. also proposed to cut Russia off of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network which could cripple the country’s ability to trade with most of the world and result in a heavy blow to its economy. While some European Union members including Germany opposed the decision to cut off the SWIFT network for Russia but kept the option as a possibility for the future if the situation further deteriorates.

More than 50,000 Ukrainians have left the country amid the ongoing crisis, those who stayed are facing the challenge of short supplies and lack of medical assistance. As the Russian forces approach the capital city Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked to evacuate at the behest of the U.S. government, but he turned down the offer by stating that the “fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

Ukraine also announced its mobilization plans and restricted all male citizens of ages 18 to 60 from exiting the country, as fighting reaches Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. Kyiv city’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko has imposed a stricter curfew as Russian troops entered the city and the death toll reaches 200, which includes civilians, three of whom were children.