By Tom Kean, Jr.
I recently returned from leading a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Ukraine. We had arrived in Kyiv with good news: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed -- with 73% of the vote -- $60 billion in assistance to aid the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression and to reinvigorate America’s defense industrial base.
In Kyiv, we met with President Zelenskyy to discuss the importance of this legislation and what it means for Ukraine and the United States. Now that the U.S. Senate has passed this supplemental funding bill with 79% of the vote and the President has signed it into law, crucial weaponry is en route to the frontlines in Ukraine.
We know that the needs in Ukraine are urgent. Every day, Russia bombards Ukraine’s soldiers on the frontlines and kills Ukrainians in their homes. Aid from the United States is crucial to stemming the tide of Russia’s assault across Ukraine. The vast majority of funding in this supplemental bill stays in the United States, boosting our defense industrial base so that we can produce the weapons that Ukraine needs to win this war and the weapons that the United States needs to deter future ones.
As we discussed with President Zelenskyy, U.S. assistance to Ukraine comes with very stringent oversight and accountability. Over 20 different government agencies collaborate to ensure that our aid is not subject to fraud, corruption, or diversion.
Since the first days of this war, the world has marveled at how Ukraine’s brave warriors have devastated Russia’s military on the battlefield with the weapons provided to them by the United States and our allies. This supplemental bill supports Ukraine’s brave warriors and their fight for their nation’s survival.
As Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee, I have consistently advocated for the timely delivery of resources from previous supplemental funding bills to support Ukraine. Too often the Biden administration has slow-walked critical weaponry that could provide Ukraine key advantages on the battlefield.
Ukrainian forces’ recent success in striking Russian positions with longer-range ATACMS missiles, which were only just provided to Ukraine after two years of pleas from Kyiv, shows the folly of the administration’s slow-motion approach to military aid for Ukraine. My hope is that President Biden uses the funds and the authorities of this latest supplemental bill to give Ukraine the weapons it truly needs at the speed of relevance. Ukraine’s survival depends on U.S. and European support.
It is squarely in U.S. interests that Ukraine not just survive, but win. The eyes of the world are upon us. Both our friends and our enemies are watching to see if America will stand by its commitments to support our friends in their time of need - that also includes Israel, Taiwan, and other strategic allies. The strong Republican and Democrat support for the bill put that doubt to rest. America will not be deterred by thugs like Vladimir Putin. We stand with Ukraine.
Tom Kean, Jr. represents New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Hunterdon and Warren counties; and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counties. He serves as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe.
