Ukraine asks the US to extend the lend-lease law for 2024: why it is important
The diplomat explained why this law is important for Ukraine.
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Oksana Markarova
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, told that Ukraine will request the U.S. to extend the lend-lease law for 2024.
She told about this in an interview with "Suspilne".
The Ambassador mentioned that currently, Ukraine receives military assistance from the U.S. through three programs, and it's crucial that the Congress extends the lend-lease law as the fourth instrument for obtaining weapons.
"President Biden has submitted new changes to the budget, providing additional funding for Ukraine. We are very hopeful that we will manage to persuade Congress, and Congress will support and approve them. However, if not, we cannot find ourselves in a situation where there will be no possibility at all from the United States to allocate weapons to us," Markarova explained.
She emphasized that the law on lend-lease for Ukraine expires in September, but it is important for our country as a tool for additional assistance.
"Amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), commonly known as the military budget, have been submitted. The law was already considered in July. This amendment for extending the lend-lease program throughout the year of 2024 has already passed in the House of Representatives. It has also been submitted to the Senate, and we are awaiting the so-called conference between the House of Representatives and the Senate, where the synchronization of the two legislative proposals will be decided," she said.
The Ambassador explained that the extension of such a law is crucial for Ukraine.
"We don't directly purchase the weapons provided by the U.S.; however, budgetary rules operate quite clearly in this regard. Therefore, the Pentagon must have the authorization to allocate weapons to us. If these authorizations run out, the next option available today will be to sign rental or leasing agreements, apply the act of lend-lease and receive the same that's included in the Presidential Drawdown Authority under this act. That's precisely why it's very important," explained Markarova.
The diplomat added that the U.S. is the only country providing budgetary assistance to our nation on a grant basis. As a result, Ukraine not only receives funds to pay pensions and salaries to healthcare workers and teachers but also avoids increasing its debt.
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