The $895 billion U.S. defense budget passed by the House of Representatives did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine despite the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on Dec. 12.
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.
"The Embassy continues to actively work to preserve this mechanism," Markarova said. In April, a bipartisan group of senators proposed to reintroduce the lend-lease act through the fiscal year 2026.
The future of U.S. support for Ukraine hangs in the air as President-elect Donald Trump has already hinted that Kyiv should expect reduced assistance after he takes office in January. These concerns prompted the outgoing Biden administration to speed up the arms delivery and use up the remaining $4-5 billion left in the presidential drawdown authority.
The House's defense bill, which the Senate will vote on next week, also did not include funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in 2025, as those were already provided in the previous budget in the amount of $300 million, Markarova said.
The USAI is a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
The bill did include a ban on the use of funds for any actions that could lead to recognition of Russian occupation in Ukraine and a request for an inter-departmental report on Moscow's financing of international terrorism.
It also contained a proposal to establish the Center of Excellence for developing AI-based weapons in cooperation with foreign partners, including Ukraine.
The support for Ukraine may face an increasingly uphill battle as the Republican Party has not only maintained control over the House but also won the Senate majority in the November elections.
It was the opposition from parts of the Republican Party that delayed a $61 billion aid bill earlier this year, contributing to battlefield setbacks for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson also rejected a vote on the last-minute proposal by President Joe Biden for a $24 billion package to assist Ukraine and replenish arms.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
