U.S. Senate passes 2024 defense budget envisaging $300M in aid for Ukraine

The U.S. Senate has backed a defense policy bill authorizing a record $886 billion in annual military spending, including $300 million in assistance for Ukraine.

The vote took place on Wednesday, Ukrinform reports, citing Reuters.

The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, "will ensure America can hold the line against Russia, stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party, and ensures that America's military remains state-of-the-art at all times all around the world," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.

This year's bill is nearly 3,100 pages long, authorizing a record $886 billion, up 3% from last year.

The bill extends one measure to help Ukraine, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through the end of 2026, authorizing $300 million for the program in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and the next one.

However, that figure is tiny compared to the $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine that Biden has asked Congress to approve to help Kyiv as it battles a Russian invasion that began in February 2022.