Biden Pledges Swift Weapons Delivery To Ukraine

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Apr, 2024) US President Joe Biden vowed to send fresh weapons to Ukraine within days as he prepared to sign on Wednesday an aid package including $61 billion meant to help Kyiv's forces push back against Russia.

Congress approved on Tuesday the long-delayed legislation, which also contained a measure to ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media app does not cut ties with its Chinese parent company.

Days after the Republican-led House of Representatives cleared the aid -- part of a larger $95 billion package of assistance to allies including Israel and Taiwan -- the Democratic-controlled Senate followed suit, passing it with bipartisan support on a 79-18 vote.

"I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week," Biden said in a statement shortly after the vote.

Passage of the bill, which also provides much-needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, Sudan and Haiti, comes after months of acrimonious debate among lawmakers over how or even whether to help Ukraine defend itself.

A similar aid package passed the Senate in February, but had been stalled in the House while Republican Speaker Mike Johnson -- heeding calls from ex-president Donald Trump and his hardline allies -- demanded concessions from Biden on immigration policies, before a sudden reversal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington in December to plead for fresh aid, quickly thanked US lawmakers for passing the bill, saying on social media that he looked "forward to the bill being signed soon and the next military aid package matching the resoluteness that I always see in our negotiations."

"Ukraine's long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defense are critical tools for restoring just peace sooner."

Biden said the bill's approval showed America stood "resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression," while the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said it sent a message that the United States "will not turn our back on you."

The Ukraine measure also allows Biden to confiscate and sell Russian assets and provide the money to Kyiv to finance reconstruction, a move that has been embraced by other G7 nations.

The United States has been the chief military backer of Ukraine in its war against Russia, but Congress had not approved large-scale funding for its ally for nearly a year and a half.

The financing of the war has become a point of contention ahead of a presidential election in November that is expected to pit Biden against Trump once again.