Kyiv: US increased aid to Ukrainian defense sector by $50 million
The press service of the Ukrainian Embassy to the US wrote on Facebook that the United States defense budget for 2020 may include $250 million to strengthen Ukraine Security.
“The official draft of the US defense budget for 2020 includes $250 million to provide assistance and support to the military and national security force of Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). According to the document, these funds are planned to be allocated as ‘assistance and support to the military and national security forces of Ukraine’ and for replacement of any weapons or defensive articles provided earlier,” the statement explained.
The suggested amount is $50 million more than the funds allocated in 2019. In the future, budget requests must go through a US Congress debate where amendments or supplements may be implemented. The actual amount of assistance to Ukraine will be announced after that process is completed.
US President Donald Trump stated that he would propose to Congress to increase the defense budget of 2020 to $750 billion. Trump signed the Pentagon budget last September that allocates $250 million of assistance to Ukraine. $50 million of the budget would be provided for lethal weapons.