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US Congressman proposes bill to restore lend-lease for Ukraine program

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US Congressman proposes bill to restore lend-lease for Ukraine program
WASHINGTON - APRIL 23: The U.S. Capitol dome is seen through American and Ukrainian flags on the East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, as the Senate considers aid to Ukraine and Israel. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

U.S. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson announced his plan to introduce the Freedom First Lend-Lease Act to Congress, on Feb. 10.

Reauthorizing this program would grant U.S. President Donald Trump the authority to send Ukraine weapons through lend-lease.

Wilson argued that this initiative would help deter "War Criminal (Vladimir) Putin" and he claimed that former U.S. President Joe Biden should have taken similar action earlier.

“Bring Russia to the table through American strength,” Wilson wrote on X.

Currently, details about the bill remain unclear, including whether it has support from other members of Congress.

The $895 billion U.S. defense bill passed by Congress in Dec. 2024 did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine.

The U.S. passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act in May 2022, but it expired in September 2023 without ever being used.

Ukrainian diplomats have been lobbying for its reintroduction as it allows the U.S. president to loan or lease arms to Ukraine while cutting through congressional red tape.

Trump’s team to visit Ukraine this week, Zelensky says
“There will be some (high-profile) people from President Trump’s team here in Ukraine this week, even before the Munich Security Conference,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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