Biden’s request on Thursday, which is likely to be approved by Congress, includes $ 20.4 billion in security and military assistance, most notably $ 5 billion in weapons from US stockpiles. The announcement of the new chapters – which is expected to last until September – is the latest escalation of tensions between Moscow and the West over Vladimir Putin’s war. “As long as the attacks and atrocities continue, we will provide military assistance,” he said. “It’s not cheap, but retreating to aggression will be more expensive. . . “Either we support the Ukrainian people as they defend their country or we stand by them as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression in Ukraine.” Washington is taking an increasingly dynamic approach to the war, expanding the scope and amount of deadly aid to Ukraine it has provided in recent weeks. Tensions have risen on other fronts this week, with Russia continuing its offensive in eastern Ukraine, the United States convening a meeting of more than 40 countries to increase arms aid to Kyiv, and Moscow announcing a halt to gas exports. to Poland and Bulgaria. Biden said the United States had largely exhausted previous funding from Congress, suggesting the White House expects the war to continue in the coming months. He added that the new package started “the transition to long-term security assistance”. In addition to arms assistance, there is $ 6 billion in security assistance and $ 4 billion in the State Department’s foreign military funding program.

The White House said the resources would support the provision of additional artillery, armored vehicles, cyber-capabilities and air defense capabilities, as well as landmine clearance efforts and improvised explosive devices. They will also support US troop missions on NATO soil. In addition, the United States plans to provide $ 8.5 billion in financial assistance to the Ukrainian government and $ 3 billion in humanitarian assistance to address food security and support for those displaced by the war. Washington intends to devote funds to the US Department of Justice’s efforts to seize high-value assets from sanctioned individuals in connection with Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The Biden government is proposing legislation to streamline the process of recovering proceeds from the seizure of assets and investing them in war reparations. Biden said the United States is also working with countries such as South Korea, Japan and Qatar to help European countries facing threats from Russia to cut off energy supplies. “We will not allow Russia to intimidate or blackmail us out of these sanctions. “We will not allow them to use their oil and gas to avoid the consequences of their aggression.” There is widespread bipartisan support in Washington for additional funding for Ukraine, but it may take some time before the money is mixed with other funding requests. Biden also called on Congress to spend more funding on Covid-19, adding that it would be up to the Capitol to decide how to meet the demands. Funding for Covid-19 has stalled amid fights between Democrats and Republicans over immigration.