T
he Foreign Military Financing aid is to help the Ukrainian military build capabilities and some of the money is intended specifically for maritime security in the Black Sea.
Text of earlier email below - - -
Associated Press
Administration releases $250 million in Ukraine military aid
By ANDREW TAYLOR
an hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has released $250 million in military aid to Ukraine that had been held up despite criticism that the money was desperately needed to deter Russian aggression and territorial expansion.
That move came before a Senate Appropriations panel debate Thursday, when lawmakers from both parties were set to rebuke the administration. They credited an amendment threatened by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for forcing the administration’s hand on the money, which Congress already had approved.
Several Republican senators, including Trump ally Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said they would have voted with Democrats. Added Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.: “We support Ukraine. Period. End of discussion.”
Relations between Ukraine and Russia nosedived in 2014 after Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and threw its weight behind separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. [
I can't help it - sorry Associated Press - "threw its weight behind separatists" - oh yes the Kremlin did that but it is defective reporting not always to mention that Russian troops were and are running the war against Ukraine. RAM
]
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Not to be lost in this too long awaited action are at least two things:
- Even with the money "released" contracts obligating the funds have to be negotiated and signed before the end of the month. I have faith those committed to this in the Pentagon and among the U.S. contractors that will be making and delivering the military equipment will get the job done but they should not have been held up for so long.
- This reported release does not address the $146 million at the Department of State for Ukraine under the Department's FMF program. That too needs to be released quickly.
