Next week, the administration of US President Joe Biden will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine, writes Reuters.
According to agency sources, the Pentagon will spend on this the funds that were discovered in June as a result of an accounting error. The U.S. Department of Defense still has about $5.4 billion because it overestimated the amount of U.S. weapons provided to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
This money allows additional weapons and ammunition to be sent to Kyiv, despite the exclusion of future aid to Ukraine from the interim budget bill passed by the House of Representatives.
The composition of the next aid package is still being discussed. Its estimated cost is about $200 million. It is expected that the aid will be announced on October 11 at the 16th meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in Brussels.
What is happening in the USA?
From October 1, a shutdown could occur in the United States — a partial suspension of the governmentʼs work, if the House of Representatives and the Senate did not approve budget issues in time. On this day, the temporary budget was agreed for 45 days, but it did not include additional aid to Ukraine. There is a debate in Congress due to political differences — right-wing Republicans are opposed to supporting Ukraine, and part of the party is hesitant. Therefore, Congress must find a compromise on the fiscal year 2024 budget. Legislators should discuss a separate bill on $24 billion in military aid to Kyiv.
On October 3, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Kevin McCarthy, was prematurely removed from office. Now the US House of Representatives will not be able to pass new laws until a new speaker is elected. Aid to Ukraine will also remain without consideration.
The House of Representatives plans to return to work no earlier than October 10, and discussions on possible candidates will continue until then. According to the hierarchy, it can be Majority Leader Steve Scalise, or other candidates who will be chosen during the discussion.