Biden to ask Congress for $33 billion to support Ukraine through September

U.S. President Joe Biden announces an additional $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine as he delivers an update on U.S. efforts related to Russia’s invasion, during a speech in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2022.

Senior administration officials said Thursday that President Joe Biden will ask Congress for $33 billion in aid for Ukraine.

The aid package will be accompanied by a proposal to Congress to make it easier for the U.S. to seize the assets of Russian billionaires and sell them to the Ukrainians.

The request for additional security and military assistance for Ukraine is part of the $33 billion.

The administration said that it is intended to help clear mines and improvised bombs, as well as accelerate cyber capabilities and advanced air defense systems.

Biden warned Congress that failing to check Putin would cost more than the current proposal.

Though we expect our NATO allies and EU partners will be making even larger collective contributions than the United States, there is no doubt that continuing to support Ukraine in this war against Russian aggression will require a substantial additional investment on our part.

The cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks, according to Biden.

The Ukrainian economy is supported by a sum of $8.5 billion.

It will help fund the government, support food, energy, and health care services for the Ukrainian people. The $8.5 billion is intended to support small- and medium-sized agricultural businesses during the fall harvest.

Thanks to a dramatic rise in the price of food due to Russia's invasion, three billion dollars will be provided for humanitarian assistance around the globe.

As the war enters its third month, the U.S. military wants Congress to approve a two-part request. The first thing to do is to arm the Ukrainian forces so that they can win the war. The second is to weaken Russia's entire power structure by tying up its troops in a war of attrition, which will cripple its economy with sanctions and trade embargoes.

The supplemental budget request to Congress is expected to win broad support among Republicans and Democrats, even as it pushes the total American expenditure in Ukraine past 36 billion in just 9 months.

Biden will send a set of proposals to Congress that will make it easier for the Treasury and State Departments to impose sanctions on Russians.

The proceeds of a crime must be shown by prosecutors in order to sell off seized assets. Being a Russian oligarch isn't a crime right now. Legal scholars say that without a crime, it is possible for billionaires to win in court if they want to return their property. Congress would create a new federal offense of knowingly owning proceeds obtained from corrupt dealings with the Russian government under Biden's proposal.

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