The U.S. Senate on May 19 overwhelmingly approved a $40 billion package of military and economic aid for Ukraine, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature just three weeks after he proposed it.
The 86-11 vote gave final congressional approval to the package, which Biden is expected to quickly sign.
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“Help is on the way, really significant help. Help that could make sure that the Ukrainians are victorious,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York).
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky) backed the measure, saying Ukraine’s defeat would jeopardize America’s European trading partners, increase U.S. security costs there, and embolden autocrats in China and elsewhere to grab territory in their regions.
“The most expensive and painful thing America could possibly do in the long run would be to stop investing in sovereignty, stability, and deterrence before it’s too late,” McConnell said.
A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the U.S. Senate after it approved the bill, which passed the House of Representatives last week.
"We are grateful for the historic decision of the U.S. Senate to provide Ukraine $40 billion in aid. Let's win together," Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Twitter.
When Biden signs the bill into law, it will bring the total amount of U.S. aid approved for Ukraine to well over $50 billion since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Schumer said on May 18 that he was not confident it would be the final measure to help Ukraine.
“They’re doing the fighting. They’re the ones getting killed. They’re the ones struggling and suffering. The least we can do is give them the weaponry they need,” he said.
The legislation contains around $24 billion for weapons, equipment, and military financing for Ukraine and to cover the cost of restoring U.S. weapons stocks sent to the region.
The rest includes economic aid to keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government functioning, food programs for countries that rely on Ukraine’s crop production, refugee assistance, and funds for Kyiv to investigate Russian war crimes.
Shortly after the Senate vote, Secretary of State Antony Blinken released another $100 million in previously approved funding for military assistance for Ukraine. It is the 10th "drawdown" of arms and is valued at $100 million, Blinken said in a statement.
The funding will include 18 new howitzers and some anti-artillery radar, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The equipment will be in the hands of Ukrainian forces “very, very soon,” Kirby added.
SEE ALSO: G7 Pledges $15 Billion To Help Ukraine Make Up Economic Losses, Yellen SaysU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the $40 billion package sent to Biden includes $7.5 billion in new economic aid.
Speaking to reporters in Germany after the first day of a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers and central bank governors, Yellen said that the finance leaders agreed to provide Ukraine the financial resources it needs in its struggle against Russia's invasion.
Yellen said that funding pledges during the meeting exceeded the $15 billion that Kyiv has estimated it needs over the next three months to make up for the loss of revenue caused by the war.
The European Commission pledged 9 billion euros, and other countries, including Canada and Germany, pledged additional amounts, she said.
"The message was, 'We stand behind Ukraine. We're going to pull together with the resources that they need to get through this,'" Yellen said.