US allocates $3.4 billion in budget aid to Ukraine amid rising Russian attacks

The United States has allocated $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to Ukraine, marking a crucial step in supporting the war-torn country amidst escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on December 30.

In a statement, Yellen explained that the direct budget assistance, which has been coordinated with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department, is the final disbursement under the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, Caliber.Az report via foreign media.

A U.S. official confirmed that this new funding brings the total amount of U.S. budget aid to Ukraine to just over $30 billion since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The majority of these funds have been used to keep Ukraine's government functioning, covering salaries for teachers and other state employees.

Earlier on the same day, U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $2.5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, separate from the direct budget aid. This announcement comes as Washington intensifies its support for Ukraine nearly three years into the ongoing war. Overall, the U.S. has committed $175 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the conflict began.

President Biden's administration has been working to solidify support for Ukraine ahead of the inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Trump has publicly questioned military aid to Ukraine and vowed to end the war within 24 hours of assuming office. Some of his fellow Republicans, who will soon control both houses of the U.S. Congress, have also expressed reluctance toward sending additional aid to Kyiv.

Yellen emphasized the importance of continued economic aid for Ukraine to maintain government services and uphold its sovereignty, urging against cuts to funding. "Ukraine’s success is in America’s core national interest," she said. "We must not retreat in this effort," she added, vowing to maintain pressure on Moscow with sanctions and to help Ukraine achieve a just peace.

She also highlighted that U.S. budget aid for Ukraine has been, and will continue to be, conditional on reforms aimed at strengthening law enforcement, improving transparency and efficiency in government institutions, and bolstering anti-corruption efforts.

The latest funding announcement follows the earlier transfer of $20 billion from the U.S. portion of a $50 billion Group of Seven (G7) loan to Ukraine, which was directed to a World Bank intermediary fund for Ukraine earlier this month. These funds are backed by profits earned from frozen Russian sovereign assets.

President Biden also remarked on December 25 that he had directed the Department of Defense to continue the surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, condemning Russia's Christmas Day attack on Ukraine's energy system and some of its cities.

By Vugar Khalilov