US Congress passes World War II law to speed up arms shipments to Ukraine
With 410 votes in favour and only 10 against, the US Congress has 'resurrected' a World War II-era law that allows the White House to send arms to Ukraine more easily and with less bureaucracy. This legislative measure was first used in 1941, before the US entered the war, and allowed then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt to expedite the shipment of US arms to the UK in its fight against Nazi Germany.
Before bringing the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 to Congress, both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate endorsed the measure, reflecting the US commitment to Kiev in its fight against Russia. The bill also responds to multiple requests from the Ukrainian authorities for the national armed forces to receive more international weaponry.
Before passing this law, US President Joe Biden asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion, which began more than two months ago. Of this amount, more than $20 billion will be used to arm Ukrainian forces, while $8.5 billion will alleviate the economic effects of the war and help Kiev "respond to the immediate crisis and continue to provide basic services to the Ukrainian people". In addition, 3 billion will go to humanitarian aid and food security.
Ukraine defends freedom, ours and yours, for 50 days. We don’t need a ride©️, we need heavy arms and ammunition.
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) April 14, 2022
- Heavy armored vehicles
- Combat aircraft
- Multiple launch rocket systems
- Long-range artillery
- Heavy anti-aircraft weapons
Give us the tools.#ArmUkraineNow! pic.twitter.com/ffmXE7aak5
The US president admitted that the cost of this war "is not cheap", but warned that "giving in to aggression will be more costly if we allow it to succeed". "The choice is to stand with the Ukrainians as they defend their country or stand by while the Russians continue their atrocities," Biden added in his speech on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Last week, as Russia intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine, the president announced that the US would send Kiev an additional $800 million in military assistance. Since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine, the US administration has donated approximately $3.4 billion in assistance, according to CNN.
Explosions rumble at the Artyom plant in Kyiv, one of Ukraine's key defense industries.
It had just received a missile strike.#Kyiv pic.twitter.com/qqNxguHHi8— The RAGE X (@theragex) April 28, 2022
The US has sent Ukraine Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Mi-17 helicopters, anti-armour and anti-drone radars, patrol boats, anti-armour small arms, grenade launchers, ammunition, shotguns, machine guns, rifles, pistols, body armour, helmets, hummers, anti-armour systems and Switchblade drones. In Biden's words, Washington has sent "thousands of missiles, helicopters, radar and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition" since the war began. Kiev also received more than 130 tons of US weaponry in the weeks leading up to the invasion.
Biden is presenting this new package at a time when the US economy is going through a difficult period. The country's gross domestic product contracted by 1.4% in the first quarter of the year, a sharp reversal of the trend of the last few months of 2021, when GDP rose by 1.7%.
#Ukraine This is the consequence of a Russian missile hitting an apartment building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. It is known that 4 people were hospitalized and one died pic.twitter.com/yMfIh1ZaAi
— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) April 29, 2022
Nevertheless, it is quite likely that Biden's plan will be approved by US lawmakers. "Congress seems to have an unlimited willingness to fund military support for Ukraine," stresses Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America correspondent. "33 billion is a significant amount, but if the past is any guide, it should pass relatively easily," he adds.
The US president also proposed confiscating the assets of Russian oligarchs and donating those amounts to Ukraine to help the country with humanitarian and infrastructure reconstruction. The Ukraine Asset Seizure and Reconstruction Act passed by 417 votes, although some lawmakers voted against it. Opponents of the measure include conservative politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, although left-wing representatives such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib also voted against it.
Despite Biden's proposal to further arm the Ukrainian army, the US leader has clarified that his country was not attacking Russia, but only "helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression". Nevertheless, Moscow continues to warn that sending arms to Kiev 'is an action that threatens the security of the continent and provokes instability'. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently threatened a 'withering response' if any country intervenes in Ukraine.
"We have the tools for this, which no one else can boast about. We will not boast, we will use them if necessary," he said. Similarly, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian broadcaster RT that "all cargo arriving in Ukraine will be legitimate targets for attack".
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra
