US Senate approves bill on lend-lease program for Ukraine

The US Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow Ukraine to supply weapons under the Lend-Lease program.

Lend-Lease is a program under which the United States leased or transferred on a long-term loan military equipment and equipment to the Allies during World War II. The Lend-Lease Act was in effect from March 1941 to August 1945; materials totaling more than $50 billion were transferred to the allies of the United States, of which about $11 billion fell to the USSR.

A group of lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties introduced the document to the upper house in late January, even before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, after reports appeared in the media that Moscow was preparing an invasion. The bill provides the US President with expanded powers to conclude agreements with the Ukrainian authorities on the supply of weapons "to protect the population of Ukraine from Russian military invasion and for other purposes." The document will allow the HEAD of state to bypass bureaucratic obstacles - this will speed up the delivery of weapons.

The expanded powers of the American leader will expire if the conflict ends (by conflict, the authors mean what is happening in relations between Moscow and Kyiv after the annexation of Crimea to RUSSIA in 2014) and the reduction in the number of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border to the state of March 2021. The bill notes that cyber attacks carried out from Russia and aimed at critical infrastructure in Ukraine will be classified as an armed attack.

Now the document must be approved by the House of Representatives. If this happens, the bill will be sent to the president for signature.