US officials say the Pentagon is ready to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine.
The announcement comes as the Senate begins debating the long-awaited law that would provide military aid to Kiev to repel Russian troops.
The decision, made public on Tuesday, comes after months of debate and tension that led to the blocking of aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to cobble together a bipartisan coalition to pass the bill.
After a delay of several months, caused by a group of Republicans in the House of Representatives, the aid of 61 billion dollars was approved on Saturday by this chamber and will be considered by the Senate on Tuesday. President Biden has said he will sign it immediately. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he “is grateful” for the decision, which he said was “in the right direction of history”. The package is expected to be approved on Tuesday or Wednesday in the Senate.
The aid to Ukraine is part of an overall $95 billion foreign aid package that also includes funding for Israel and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Pivnenko, in an interview with the local press, announced that the Russian troops are preparing for an offensive during the summer and will aim to strike in unforeseen areas. The senior military officer’s comments come at a time when Ukraine is in urgent need of armaments.
CIA Director Bill Burns warned last week that the rapid delivery of aid is vital and that without it, Ukraine could lose the war by the end of the year.
According to US officials, the Pentagon can send the military aid within days, thanks to the vast network of US military depots in the United States and Europe.
