Reuters: Biden to ask Congress for $60 billion for Ukraine

20 October, 2023 Ukrainian military uses M777 howitzers, May 2022, Photo credits: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces U.S. President Joe Biden will ask Congress for additional funding for military assistance to Ukraine and Israel.

The request will include £60 billion for Ukraine and £14 billion for Israel. Reuters reports this, citing its own sources. According to journalists, the request will also cover £10 billion for humanitarian aid, £14 billion for border security (including reinforcement on the U.S. border with Mexico) and £7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region (probably for Taiwan).

It is reported that half of the £60 billion Biden is requesting for Ukraine would go toward replacing and modernizing U.S. weapons stocks.

Joe Biden. Photo credits: US media

Biden plans to outline an "urgent budget request" on Friday, October 20. During his video address to the American people, the U.S.

President said that he considered assistance to Ukraine and Israel to be a smart investment in the future. "We have to allocate funds to support our partners, including Israel and Ukraine. It's a smart investment that's gonna pay dividends for American security for generations," Biden said.

The U.S. President is convinced that, although Hamas and Putin are different threats, they have much in common. Joe Biden noted that the United States sent weapons to Ukraine from stockpiles, and the money allocated by Congress was needed to replenish stockpiles with new equipment, and this provided work for U.S. defense companies across the country.

United States Congress

However, it is unknown whether this request will be approved by Congress.

According to the VOA, not everyone supports combining U.S. aid to Ukraine and Israel.

In particular, nine Republican senators in a joint letter to Senate leaders called for any additional U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine to be voted on separately.