President Biden signs Ukraine lend-lease act into law
Western arms deliveries to Ukraine are a complex step-by-step process. Something began to arrive at once: compact things like MANPADs, anti-tank weapons, and ammunition for Soviet systems. The next step was the actual Soviet systems, assembled in Eastern Europe and other places. The next step was the supply of Western equipment at the level of artillery pieces, light armored vehicles, etc., something that can be mastered relatively quickly by Soviet-trained specialists.
In Washington, the Senate was forced to postpone final passage of a $40 billion Ukraine aid package U.S. Senator Rand Paul wants special controls on money to prevent embezzlement and fraud. He proposed an amendment to appoint a special inspector general to oversee the spending of funds allocated to Ukraine.
“You don’t have to throw away all the $40 billion without any oversight. And having a special inspector general, as was the case in Afghanistan, only some of the money was stolen, at least this makes thieves think twice before stealing the money,” Rand Paul said.
Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell demanded that all 100 senators agree to a vote on the nearly $40 billion aid bill for Ukraine. Rand Paul countered.
“This is the largest U.S. military aid in two decades. The amount will exceed the defense spending of some countries. We will have to borrow money from China,” Paul added.
Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today openly admitted that the U.S. is at war with Russia, and therefore in a “time of war” Republicans should not criticize Biden. These words can be considered confirmation that the Ukrainian conflict is more multifaceted. Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said that not a single U.S. soldier in NATO would go to Ukraine because he did not want to start World War III. However, U.S. politicians have different views on the conflict in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on the Ukrainian frontlines, the AFU have started using US-made M-777s in Kharkiv Region. The U.S. is expected to supply Kyiv with 90 such 155-mm howitzers.
The photo shows American M113 APCs of the AFU on their way to the front. The vehicles were developed in the late 1950s in the United States. The M113 APC has not been produced since 2007 and has been gradually replaced by more modern vehicles in the US Army.
On May 11, Washington confirmed that weapons had gone to Ukraine before the start of the special operation. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had been supplying weapons long before the Russian involvement. The first billion dollars the president allocated for Ukraine did include assistance with lethal weapons. The United States, Canada, Britain, and other allies helped prepare the Ukrainians, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
The U.S. help on such an unprecedented scale is not due to any “love” for Ukraine or even support for its economy. Its purpose is to continue the proxy war against Russia, the desire to inflict a heavy defeat on the Russian Federation and to limit its economic development and influence in the world. This goal is quite logically justified by the current geopolitical realities.
