Ukraine takes steps to extend lend-lease law – Ukraine's Ambassador to the USA
Ukraine hopes the United States will continue providing free military aid to Kyiv. However, the Ukrainian authorities are working to ensure that the US extends the Lend-Lease law for Ukraine after September. Weapons under this program have not yet been delivered.
Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA, stated this in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
"At the end of September, the draft law on lend-lease expires, on which we are currently working very actively – it has already been passed in the House, and now we are working with the Senate – to extend the validity of this law.
We hope to convince our colleagues to allocate grant funds to us in the additional budget. But suppose there are any delays or specific difficulties with this. In that case, the availability of leasing or renting weapons is critical – it is essential that it also remains possible," Markarova said.
She also added that "complex work is underway" with American partners in all areas.
In particular, work is underway with Congress to ensure that the US state budget 2024 includes more funds for Ukraine.
"In addition to getting new weapons and speeding up the delivery of the ones that have already been announced, we also have to understand that we are approaching the end of the fiscal year. September 31st is the day that the fiscal year ends in the United States. And all those funds that Congress allocated in December last year, budget, security, humanitarian, energy, and reconstruction, we will select them by the end of September.
Therefore, we are already actively working with the Congress on the future budget, on the increase and additional budget funds for Ukraine for 2024, which is actually a calendar year from October 1," the ambassador noted.
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The Lend-Lease Act was signed into law by US President Joe Biden on May 9, 2022. Among other things, it expands the powers of the US president in agreements regarding the supply of military aid to Ukraine. In fact, it allows lending or leasing military equipment under simplified export control procedures.
It allows the White House to provide weapons, equipment, ammunition, and dual-use products to Ukraine under an accelerated procedure, without waiting for a special allocation of funds for this by the US Congress.
The Lend-Lease program last operated during World War II when American military aid was supplied to opponents of Nazi Germany, primarily Great Britain and the USSR.
At the same time, the USA did not provide weapons to Ukraine under lend-lease, as there was no need for this. All assistance was provided free of charge. According to the Pentagon, since the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine began, Washington has provided Kyiv with military aid worth $43 billion.
It should be noted that, on July 25, the US Ministry of Defense announced the allocation of an additional package of military aid to Ukraine, which provides for the immediate delivery of weapons and equipment from the Pentagon's stocks, including missiles for the NASAMS, HIMARS, and other systems.
