WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden has tasked the Department of State to allocate US$600 million to Ukraine, including US$350 million for defence purposes, the White House said.
"I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the following authorities, subject to fulfilling the requirements of section 614(a)(3) and section 652 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), in order to provide immediate military assistance to Ukraine: (1) the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to US$250 million in assistance without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA;" the White House said in a statement.
"(2) The authority under section 506(a)(1) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to an aggregate value of US$350 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defence, and military education and training, and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a draw down," the statement added.
The US authorities are ready to help Volodymyr Zelenskyy leave Kyiv amid the Russian troops' advance to the city, media reported.
US and Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post that the United States wanted to help Zelenskyy avoid being captured or killed by the Russian forces.
On Friday, Zelenskyy and a number of top Ukrainian officials published a video saying that they had not left Kyiv
Sputnik