WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is asking Congress to set aside more than $6 billion to help support Ukraine in the next fiscal year, with Russia pressing ahead with its assault on the besieged nation.
Direct aid to Ukraine totals roughly $1 billion and includes $753 million in assistance for cybersecurity, disinformation and emerging needs, according to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. That is on top of the proposed spending to bolster NATO and counter Russia’s military aggression.
Biden’s request came as part of his annual budget and emphasizes his administration’s commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. The U.S. president underscored the pledge in his State of the Union address in February and with an announced visit to Kyiv to meet with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Congress ultimately approved more than $113 billion in aid to Ukraine last year for military and humanitarian assistance that included the transfer of tanks, ammunition and advanced weapons. The expenditure is intended to last through the end of the current fiscal year, and it will be up to Congress to make a new allocation.
At multiple points since Russia attacked Ukraine, Congress has approved supplemental budget requests for more assistance It could do the same during the next year, regardless of what it initially allocates for Ukraine.
“We have heard from President Biden…that U.S. will be with us as long as necessary,” Ukraine’s ambassador Oksana Markarova, a former finance minister, said in a USA TODAY interview. “It’s always great to see this also in the numbers.”
Ukraine is using previously approved U.S.aid, she noted in the interview, “And we do count on the continued support for the years to come.”
“Ukraine is not asking for the boots on the ground,” she said. ”We can do the fight ourselves. We will defend our home ourselves. But we are asking everyone to support us in this fight,” she added. “Do we all want to live in the world in which aggressive states can simply attack peaceful country, kill children, abduct children, destroy villages and houses?”
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That view is shared by most lawmakers in Congress, who have continuously voted to provide Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion a little more than a year ago.
But some Republicans have pointed to the United States’ rising debt and said the country should halt its military and financial support to Ukraine.
Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-Fl., is leading a “Ukraine Fatigue” caucus of nearly a dozen members of his conference. Gaetz said in an interview prior to the release of Biden’s budget that the U.S. should pressure Russia and Ukraine to enter into peace negotiations. He pointed out that in 2022 the U.S. had a significant pension shortfall.
“It strikes me as odd that we would be using taxpayer money to pay Ukrainian pensions, when the pensions of our own teachers and firefighters are not securely funded in all cases,” Gaetz said.
He also made note of the corruption scandal in Ukraine, which prompted firings and resignations earlier this year among a handful of top Ukranian officials.
“It seems as though Zelenskyy’s zeal for anti-corruption efforts aligns with Republican control in the House of Representatives,” Gaetz said.
Republicans who support helping Ukraine such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have also voiced concerns over how the money is being spent. McCarthy has vowed not to give Ukraine a “blank check.”
Zelenskyy on Wednesday invited McCarthy to Ukraine during a CNN interview, saying it might help the Republican understand what Congress is funding. McCarthy declined and criticized the Biden administration for not sending weaponry to Ukraine faster.
Markarova said in the USA TODAY interview, which took place prior to Biden’s budget release, that the inspector general’s office is auditing funds and Ukraine is willing to provide detailed reporting on how the money is being spent.
“We know it has been a huge support that U.S. has provided to us,” she said. “We are ready to address any concerns about accountability or transparency.”
Francesca Chambers is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter @fran_chambers.
