The United States Lower House approved this Thursday a legislative measure that allows the country’s president, Joe Biden, to use a law that dates from World War II to lend more weapons to Ukraine.
With 417 votes in favor and only 10 against, the measure was supported by both Democrats and Republicans, as was previously the case in the Senate, and allows Biden to deliver weapons faster and with less bureaucracy to kyiv.
This is a type of legislation first used in 1941 during the second world war – before the US entered directly into that conflict– by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide weapons to the United Kingdom Armed Forces in their fight against Germany.
This same Thursday, just a few hours before the House of Representatives voted in favor of the legislation, Biden formally asked Congress for 33,000 million dollars in additional aid for Ukraine, of which more than 20,000 million will be military assistance to defend against Russia, faced with the possibility of a long war.
In a speech from the White House, Biden explained that it is "crucial" Let Congress give the green light to this aid, because giving in to Russian aggression would be much more costly.
"Either we stand with the Ukrainian people to defend their country or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression against Ukraine."he warned.
Biden recalled that the assistance that the US has sent so far has made a difference on the battlefield and has helped Ukraine to "win the battle of kyiv", in reference to the success of the Ukrainian forces in repelling the Russian advances towards the capital.
Biden’s request for assistance includes, in addition to sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, 8.5 billion in direct economic assistance and 3 billion in humanitarian aid.
Two months into the war, the US government has nearly used up the $13.6 billion that Congress approved in March to give military and humanitarian aid to kyiv.