Biden requesting $33B to aid Ukraine, new powers to crack down on oligarchs

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden is requesting on Thursday that Congress provide an additional $33 billion to aid Ukraine, and grant him new powers to crack down on Russian oligarchs.

The request comes after Biden said last week that he has “almost exhausted” the existing authorities granted by Congress to aid Ukraine as he announced a second $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine seeking to defend against an over two-month Russian assault.

"Basically, we're out of money," the US president told reporters at the White House. "That's why today, in order to sustain Ukraine as it continues to fight, I'm sending Congress a supplemental budget request."

"It's going to keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption to the brave Ukrainian fighters and continue delivering economic humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people," he added.

The supplemental funding request includes $20.4 billion in new military and other security assistance, roughly $8.5 billion in additional economic assistance and $3 billion in humanitarian assistance and food security funding, a Biden administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The US has provided Kyiv with droves of armaments to aid its battle, include drones, anti-tank and anti-air munitions and heavy artillery.

The new aid package includes additional artillery, armored vehicles, anti-armor and anti-air capabilities, as well as what the US says are "accelerated cyber capabilities and advanced air defense systems." It did not specify the systems.

Biden is also sending Congress a proposal to create what the White House says is a “comprehensive legislative package that will enhance the United States Government’s authority to hold the Russian government and Russian oligarchs accountable for President Putin’s war against Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.

Those authorities would expand the kinds of assets that are subject to US seizure, and enable the US to transfer frozen Russian assets directly to Ukraine.

The proposal would allow the State, Treasury and Justice Departments to work together to use forfeited Russian funds to “remediate harms of Russian aggression toward Ukraine," according to the White House.

Asked about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's comments that NATO is engaged in a proxy war with Russia, Biden said the remarks are "an excuse for" Russia's "failure."

"It shows the desperation that Russia is feeling about their abject failure, and not being able to do what they set out to do in the first instance," he said.

According to UN estimates, at least 2,829 civilians have been killed and 3,180 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, with the actual figure feared to be much higher.

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 8.3 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries.