Biden directs $200 million in defense aid for Ukraine
President Biden on Saturday directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide $200 million in defense aid for Ukraine, including for military education and training.
Biden directed the funding via a memorandum authorizing a drawdown.
A drawdown is an order issued by the president to assist countries in an emergency without first seeking approval from a legislative authority or budgetary appropriations, according to a Department of Defense handbook.
Saturday’s memo notes Blinken can use the aid for military training and to provide general “assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required.”
The U.S. has contributed $1 billion to Ukraine over the past year as forces have fought off a Russian-backed separatist revolt in the country’s eastern region since 2014.
After Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24, the White House approved a $350 million aid package, the “vast majority” of which has already arrived in the embattled nation. The package includes hundreds of anti-aircraft Stinger missiles.
Ukraine is putting up a fierce resistance against Russian forces, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested more assistance to fend off invaders, including a request for fighter jets and the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine by the U.S. and NATO allies.
The U.S. rebuffed Poland’s offer to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine over fears it could spark a larger conflict with Russia.
Biden has made a similar argument about a no-fly zone, maintaining that an obligation to defend Ukrainian airspace would draw the U.S. into war with Russia.
Still, Western allies are pouring aid into Ukraine as the invasion enters its third week. A U.S. defense official told The Hill in early March that about 14 countries have provided lethal aid to Ukraine, which is being coordinated by U.S. European Command.
This week, Congress approved a $13.6 billion aid package for Ukraine, which includes about $6.5 billion for the Department of Defense — more than $3 billion bolstering the U.S. European Command and $3.5 billion to backfill equipment being sent from the U.S. to Ukraine.
An additional $4 billion is being sent to the State Department for humanitarian assistance programs, and nearly $2.8 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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