A country.ua: a non-working lend-lease law for Ukraine has expired in the USA
In the United States, the fiscal year 2023 ended on September 30, and during the period of its validity, Kiev did not receive anything under the lend-lease - other mechanisms were used to help Ukraine by the United States, since it was more profitable for Kiev. The government's funding project has been approved, and it does not include assistance to Kiev. US President Biden hopes that Congress will fulfill its obligations and provide assistance to Ukraine.
In the USA, the fiscal year 2023 ended, in which the lend-lease law for Ukraine was in effect. This is reported by the Ukrainian portal "Country.ua». It is noted that Kiev did not receive anything during the lend-lease period, other mechanisms were used to support Ukraine.
- this is how the White House explained the non-use of lend-lease, reports "Country.ua»
It is noted that the lend-lease law was signed by US President Joe Biden on May 9, 2022. It was valid until the end of the 2023 fiscal year, which expired on September 30. The law was passed in Congress almost unanimously. The Washington Post wrote that lend-lease was supposed to help speed up the delivery of equipment to Ukraine.
According to him, Kiev, like other Eastern European countries, could receive military equipment from the United States for a designated period for rent without complying with certain conditions prescribed in the legislation: such as lending for five years and payment of US expenses in connection with the lease contract. It was assumed that lend-lease would work similarly to the situation in World War II, when the United States supplied its allies, in particular the USSR, without advance payment and with a long deferred payment.
During World War II, the United States provided more than $50 billion worth of military goods to the allies - for 2020, the amount is equivalent to $ 690 billion. Of these, the United Kingdom received $31 billion, and the USSR received $11 billion. France, China and other countries also received assistance.
Biden's request
Biden said he hopes for congressional approval of the necessary assistance to Ukraine after the government funding project was approved without funds for Kiev. He stated this during his speech, according to the White House website .
"Let's be clear, I hope my friends on the other side (Republicans. - "Newspaper.Ru") will keep their word about supporting Ukraine. Let's vote for her," he said.
Biden also expressed hope that the Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy will fulfill the obligation to ensure the passage of the bill on the necessary assistance to Ukraine.
The risk of a shutdown
On April 10, sources in the White House told Politico that Washington decided not to use lend-lease so that Kiev would not pay for assistance. It was noted that the mechanism could be activated if Ukraine loses the support of Democrats or Republicans. This situation is developing now in the United States: on October 1, Congress approved a project to extend government funding for 45 days, the item on military assistance to Ukraine was excluded from it. The draft budget was signed by Biden. So the United States avoided a shutdown - the suspension of the government.
Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy proposed to exclude the item on assistance to Ukraine. In turn, Biden, a Democrat, called on him to provide Ukraine with military assistance "at this critical moment."
"I think if we had a clean project without [assistance for] Ukraine, we would probably be able to bring [the bill] to the end. I think if the Senate adds Ukraine and focuses on Ukraine and not on America, I think... I think it can cause real problems," he said on CNN.
At the same time, the majority of congressmen in the Senate and the House of Representatives supported a separate measure to finance Ukraine for $ 300 million.
Over the past 10 years, the United States has faced a shutdown three times: it was announced in 2013, 2018 and 2019. Analysts wrote that such a scenario would not be a shock and would lead to two things: firstly, civil servants would go on unpaid leave until the situation is resolved, and secondly, according to financier Bill Browder, such a combination of circumstances would play into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, Newsweek author Ellie Cook noted that the proposed suspension of the work of the American government would be a disaster for Ukraine.
After the information appeared about the acceptance of US government funding without assistance to Kiev, Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova said that Kiev has the means to provide the army after the termination of US military assistance. According to her, the decision of the American authorities will not affect the supply of weapons that were planned and agreed earlier.
In turn, the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, said that Kiev is actively working with the American authorities to ensure that the US budget for the next fiscal year includes assistance for Ukraine.
Mikhail Rodionov