Change arms aid policy, erase billions of dollars in debt

Officials in the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden are looking to do what they can before leaving office to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

US-Ukraine relations could see significant changes as Donald Trump replaces Joe Biden. (Source: Reuters)

According to Reuters , last April, the US Congress passed a funding bill that included a provision that could forgive loans worth more than $9.4 billion to support the Ukrainian government's economy and budget. After November 15, the President can forgive half of that, or $4.7 billion.

The bill allocates a total of $61 billion to help Ukraine deal with the special military operation that Russia launched in February 2022.

"We have taken the step outlined in the law to cancel those loans," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on November 20, adding that the move was made in recent days, although Congress could still take action to block it.

The US Senate is expected to vote later on November 20 on whether to approve debt forgiveness for Ukraine as proposed by Republican Senator Rand Paul, a frequent critic of US support for Ukraine. Most senators from both parties support the aid to Ukraine.

President Biden has instructed officials to quickly get as much aid to Ukraine as possible before he leaves office on January 20 amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump could limit US support for the Eastern European country.

One of these moves is the US decision to supply anti-personnel mines to Ukraine. The US will provide "non-durable" mines, which are capable of self-destructing or becoming ineffective after their operational life has expired.

According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, this decision was made due to a change in Russia's tactics, when they prioritized using infantry forces instead of mechanized forces to be able to approach and open the way.

Mr. Austin stressed that Ukraine needs tools to slow Russia’s efforts. However, human rights organizations have criticized the decision, saying that Kiev’s use of the weapon would violate the Mine Ban Treaty and pose a risk to civilians.

Just before that, Washington also allowed Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles to attack targets in Russian territory, something Kiev has long requested.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chinh-quyen-tong-thong-biden-vot-vat-vi-ukraine-truoc-khi-man-nhiem-thay-doi-chinh-sach-vien-tro-vu-khi-xoa-no-hang-ty-usd-294502.html