Biden signs Ukraine aid measure in Putin rejoinder
Reboot of WWII program has bipartisan support
WASHINGTON – Washington sought to portray a united front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War Ii-era “lend-lease” program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.
The signing Monday came as the U.S. Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against Russia – with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.
It all serves as a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on Victory in Europe Day – the anniversary of Germany’s unconditional surrender in 1945 and Russia’s biggest patriotic holiday – to rally his people behind the invasion.
“This aid has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said it was urgent that Congress approve the next Ukraine assistance package to avoid any interruption in military supplies being sent to help fight the war, with a crucial deadline coming in 10 days.
In a letter delivered to Capitol Hill on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress to act before May 19, when the existing drawdown funds run out. The Pentagon has already sent or committed all but $100 million of the $3.5 billion in
weapons and equipment that it can send to Ukraine from its existing stockpiles. And that final $100 million is expected to be used no later than May 19, they said.
The resolve from Biden and Congress to maintain support for Ukraine has been lasting, but also surprising. Still, as the months-long war with Russia grinds on, the bipartisan showing for Ukraine will be tested as the U.S. and allies are drawn closer toward the conflict.
The House could vote as soon as this week on the bolstered Ukraine aid package, sending the legislation to the Senate, which is working to confirm Biden’s nominee Bridget Brink as the new Ukrainian ambassador.
With the president’s party holding only the slimmest majorities in the House and Senate, Republican cooperation is preferred, if not vital in some
cases, for passage of the president’s strategy toward the region.
The lend-lease bill that Biden signed into law Monday revives the strategy to more quickly send military equipment to Ukraine. Launched during World War II, lend-lease signaled the U.S. would become what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the “arsenal of democracy” helping Britain and the allies fight Nazi Germany.
Biden acknowledged his request for more aid for Ukraine would have to be separated from money he also sought from Congress to address the COVID-19 crisis at home.
“We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort,” Biden said in the statement. “Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away.”