U.S. Senate approves defense bill with $300M in military aid to Ukraine

The U.S. Senate has passed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022 that authorizes $768.2 billion in defense spending and contains provisions on support for Ukraine.

The vote in the upper house of the U.S. Congress took place on Wednesday, December 15, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

A total of 88 lawmakers supported the measure, whereas 11 voted against it.

This year's defense budget - $25 billion more than requested by President Joe Biden - has been under consideration for an unusually long time due to a number of disputes among lawmakers.

The legislation provides $740 billion for the Pentagon. The remaining funds will be allocated to related programs that will determine U.S. defense policy abroad.

Among other provisions, the NDAA includes $300 million in military aid to Ukraine next year. At the same time, the document does not contain the amendment regarding the introduction of mandatory sanctions against Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which was approved by the House of Representatives.

Some $4 billion will be spent for the European Defense Initiative and $150 million for Baltic security cooperation.

In addition, the document extends limitation on military cooperation between the United States and Russia and prohibits the availability of any funds on activities that will recognize Russia's sovereignty over the Ukrainian Crimea.

For the bill to come into force, both versions of the document passed in the lower and upper houses of Congress must be formally agreed upon, sent for approval to the White House and signed by the U.S. president.

op