Ambassador Markarova: most of the funds for Ukraine’s defence needs will remain in the USA
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said on Facebook* that the budget request submitted by the White House administration to Congress for $46.1 billion for Ukraine’s defence spending stipulates that $30.6 billion of it will be allocated to US Department of Defense programmes.
“The budget request submitted by the White House to the U.S. Congress provides about 61.4 billion for Ukraine, of which 46.1 billion is defence spending and 11.8 billion is direct budget support,” – wrote Markarova on her page in the social network.
She specified that the main components of this budget request include defence spending – 46.1 billion, of which $30.6 billion will be directed for programmes of the US Department of Defence. Among other things, she said, 18 billion is allocated for replenishing defence stocks from the US Department of Defence warehouses, reimbursement of expenses for defence services and military education and training provided to Ukraine. Another 12 billion is earmarked for Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) programmes and 1.7 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Ukraine and other US partners.
Of this aid package, $14.4 billion is earmarked for technical and intelligence support, while $14.75 billion is earmarked for economic, financial, civil and nuclear security, including $11.8 billion for direct budget support to Ukraine, Markarova said.
“In the U.S. House of Representatives, the proposal can be brought to the floor for consideration and vote only after the election of the Speaker is settled…. We are following this process,” she concluded.