U.S. Administration urges Congress to provide $11.8B in budget support for Ukraine

Key U.S. administration officials have called on lawmakers to provide $11.8 billion in direct budget support for Ukraine as part of the President's request currently under consideration in Congress.

This is said in a press release published on the website of the U.S. Department of Treasury on Tuesday, Ukrinform reports.

“Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power sent a letter to Congress urging approval of the Biden Administration’s request to provide $11.8 billion in direct budget support to Ukraine as part of the President’s national security supplemental package,” the document says.

It is noted that the package comprises military, security, economic, and humanitarian assistance that “aims to preserve U.S. national security interests at a time of global challenges”.

In the letter to Congress, it is stressed that direct budget support to Ukraine is “inextricably linked to its success on the battlefield in resisting Russia’s illegal invasion, by keeping the government and economy functioning and allowing Ukraine to focus its resources on its defense”.

“This funding benefits from an unprecedented level of robust oversight and transparency, and is bolstered by significant budget support from the European Union, other G7 partners, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” the document says.

As reported by Ukrinform, U.S. President Joe Biden last month submitted a $106 billion request to Congress, which includes assistance for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, measures to reinforces the U.S. border, and other appropriations.