War in Ukraine: Military equipment will be sent to Kyiv in the “coming hours,” Joe Biden said

He protects the “investment” in the security of the United States. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed into law a US aid plan for war-torn Ukraine and announced that the first shipment of military equipment would leave for Kyiv “in the coming hours.”

The law, which provides $61 billion in military and economic assistance to Kyiv, will “strengthen the security of America and the world,” the American president said, admitting that the legislative process was “complex.”

“We don’t bow to anyone. Human. And certainly not in front of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” said the 81-year-old democrat.

“We do not abandon our allies, we support them. We don’t let tyrants win, we stand up to them. We don’t watch world events as spectators, we shape them,” he further said, hailing the political consensus reached between Democratic lawmakers and a number of Republican elected officials after months of negotiations on the text. “This is what it means to be a global superpower,” said Joe Biden, who has been demanding the funds for months.

Fierce discussions

The legislation received very broad support in the US Senate on Tuesday, after it was passed several days earlier in the House of Representatives, another component of the US Congress. On social media, his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful to the US Senate for approving vital aid to Ukraine.”

The Kremlin, for its part, has minimized its scale. “All new batches of weapons are probably already ready and will not change the dynamics at the front,” Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

The funds are the result of months of bitter negotiations, the Ukrainian president’s comings and goings in Washington, and pressure from allies around the world. They even cost the Republican leader his seat.

The passage of the aid plan is a relief for the Ukrainian army, which has faced shortages of recruits and ammunition amid constant pressure from Russian forces in the east.

The United States is Kyiv’s main military backer, but Congress has failed to pass a major aid package for its ally in nearly a year and a half, largely due to partisan differences. The American President and the Democratic Party remained in support of this aid, presented as an investment in the security of the United States in the face of what they saw as Russia’s aggressive goals.

Republicans led by Donald Trump have become increasingly reluctant, and conservative House Chairman Mike Johnson has long blocked the text. The Republican leader in Congress ultimately supported the renewal of military and economic aid, citing the following reasoning: “I would rather send ammunition to Ukraine than send our guys to fight. »

Russian assets are also targeted

The relief plan also authorizes President Biden to confiscate and sell Russian assets that will be used to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine. An idea that is gaining popularity among other G7 countries. Most of the envelope will also be used to resupply the US military and will be returned to weapons factories in the US.

Washington hopes that this new influx of American aid will encourage other allies of Ukraine to follow suit and also supply military equipment, which remains to be seen.

At the same time, the heads of government of Britain and Germany on Wednesday promised strong military support for Ukraine, even if Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to refuse to supply long-range missiles to Kyiv, despite a new US aid plan.

“We will continue to provide unwavering support to our Ukrainian friends for as long as necessary,” Rishi Sunak told a news conference in Berlin with his German counterpart.