The Defense Department will get US$6.5 billion to send weapondry to Ukraine and support the military operations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Eastern Europe.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Lower House approved a US$14 billion aid budget for Ukraine to counteract the Russian special military operation in its territory.
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The budget —which will be used for economic, humanitarian, and military support—comes from the allocation that was supposed to be designated for fighting the pandemic this year.
The Defense Department will get US$6.5 billion to send weapondry to Ukraine and support the military operations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Eastern Europe.
About US$4 billion will be used to help Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people, and other US$1.8 billion will be allocated to respond to Ukraine’s needs in energy and cybersecurity issues.
The rest of the budget will be assigned to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to fight “disinformation” and support activists and independent media. On Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers set a new package of sanctions against Russia.
By 414 votes in favor and 17 votes against, they passed a bill banning the import of Russian oil, natural gas, and coal. Upon such measure was announced, the price of gasoline in the U.S. reached a decade record, exceeding US$4,17 a gallon.
“In the short and long term, we will all have to do more to help Ukraine no matter the costs,” Lower House President Nancy Pelosi stated and considered expelling Russia from the World Trade Organization (WTO).