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Posted by Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has sent $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to Ukraine, providing vital resources to the war-torn country amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. buildings, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday.
Yellen said in a statement that direct budget assistance, issued in cooperation with the US Agency for International Development and the State Department, marked the final payment under the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.
A US official said the money brings the total of US financial aid to Ukraine to more than $30 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Most of that money is used to keep the Ukrainian government running. by paying salaries to teachers and other government employees.
Earlier on Monday, the President of the United States Joe Biden announced $ 2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine, which is separate from the direct aid budget.
Almost three years into the war, Washington has committed $ 175 billion to help Ukraine.
President Joe Biden’s administration is racing to drum up support for Ukraine before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, following his public questions about military aid and pledges to end the conflict. Ukraine within 24 hours of taking the seat.
Trump wants Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine. Some of his fellow Republicans, who will control both houses of the US Congress starting next month, are also silent on sending more aid to Kyiv.
Yellen said continued economic aid for Ukraine is essential to allow it to maintain government services and continue to protect its sovereignty, warning against measures to reduce funding.
“Ukraine’s success is in the interest of the American nation,” he said, vowing to continue to pressure Moscow with sanctions and help Ukraine achieve a just peace.
He said: “We must not go back in this effort.”
He stressed that the US financial assistance for Ukraine is still available and is in the process of reforms aimed at strengthening law enforcement, improving the transparency and efficiency of government institutions, and strengthening the efforts of against corruption.
The latest funding came on top of the $20 billion US portion of the Group of Seven’s $50 billion loan for Ukraine that the Treasury transferred to an intermediary fund of the Bank of World for Ukraine earlier this month. Those funds were backed by profits from frozen Russian sovereign wealth funds.
Biden said on Wednesday that he had asked the Defense Department to continue its arms delivery to Ukraine, after condemning Russia’s Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s power system and some of its cities.
