White House requests $6.4 billion from Congress to help Ukraine

The Biden administration has asked Congress for $6.4 billion to help Ukraine fight the Russian advance, a board official confirmed to Axios on Friday.

News leadership: $2.9 billion will be allocated for security assistance, humanitarian aid, economic stabilization, and regional efforts to combat Russian cyberattacks, among other things. The government is also demanding $3.5 billion for the Pentagon’s response to the crisis.

• Part of the $2.9 billion will also be allocated to help Ukraine’s neighbors.
• The request is likely to receive bipartisan support. “We are looking forward to including the aid package for Ukraine and coronavirus relief in general,” a congressional leader told Axios on Friday.

what are they saying: “As the president and members of Congress of both parties have made clear, the United States is determined to support the Ukrainian people in their defense of their country and democracy,” he said. An official from the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement to Axios.

• “In recent conversation with lawmakers, the administration identified the need for additional U.S. humanitarian, security, and economic assistance to Ukraine and Central European partners as a result of the unprovoked and unprovoked invasion of Russia.”
• “The government will continue to work closely with our European allies and partners to assess needs on the ground, and will remain in close contact with Congress as those needs evolve,” the official added.

The Big Picture: This funding complements previous US pledges to Ukraine last year, including $650 million in security assistance and $52 million in humanitarian aid.

Not worth anything On Friday, the United States announced sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

deepening: Ukraine-Russia crisis dashboard

Editor’s note: This story is constantly updated with additional details.