US Congress proposes renewal of lend-lease program for Ukraine

Republican US House of Representatives member Joe Wilson announced that he would initiate a bill to grant Donald Trump the authority to provide Ukraine with weapons through lend-lease.

He reported this on the social network X.

The American government official said that he would introduce the Lend-Lease Act "Freedom First" to Congress, which would give Trump "flexible authority to send victorious weapons to our partners, including Ukraine."

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As Rubryka reported, in May 2022, US President Joe Biden signed a bill to allow faster equipment and technology transfer to Ukraine after both houses of Congress passed it.

Such a document made it possible to significantly accelerate the supply of weapons, transport, food, and other assistance on lease or free of charge from the USA to Ukraine. Thanks to this program, the White House did not have to wait for a special allocation of funds by Congress.

As of now, this mechanism has not been effectively implemented. Why this occurred and whether the adoption of "Lend-Lease" can still be seen as a positive trend for Ukraine are questions Rubryka explores in the  article: "Why It Is Good for Ukraine That the American Lend-Lease Has Not Yet Worked."

In turn, the former spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry explained the Lend-Lease mechanism. It consists of the fact that the United States of America can transfer its defense products to Ukraine on lease or under leasing terms.

"The advantage of this tool is the speed of decision-making by the US Administration under a simplified procedure without unnecessary bureaucracy and the need for votes on each aid package to Ukraine in the US Congress. The disadvantage is that the volume of US weapons supplies under Lend-Lease directly depends on Ukraine's financial capabilities," the official explained.

The Lend-Lease program was last utilized during World War II when the United States supplied the Allies with ammunition, equipment, and other essential raw materials and food to combat Nazi Germany.