Goodbye, Ukraine

This was confirmed today by the Ukrainian ambassador to the USA, Oksana Markarova.

The US passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Loan Act in May 2022, but it expired in September 2023.

As Kyiv Independent reminds, Ukrainian diplomats lobbied for its reintroduction because it allows the US president to lend or lease weapons to Ukraine, while at the same time bypassing the bureaucracy in Congress.

"The embassy continues to work actively to preserve this mechanism," said Markarova.

The future of US support for Ukraine is up in the air as President-elect Donald Trump has already signaled that Kyiv should expect reduced aid after he takes office in January.

These concerns prompted the outgoing Biden administration to expedite arms shipments and use the remaining $4-5 billion left in the presidential authorization.

The House Defense Bill, which the Senate will vote on next week, also did not include funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in 2025, as it was already provided for in the previous budget at $300 million, Markarova said.

USAI is a program run by the Pentagon to supply weapons to Ukraine through contracts with US defense companies. The bill included a ban on the use of funds for any actions that could lead to recognition of Russia's occupation of Ukraine and a request for an interagency report on Moscow's financing of international terrorism.

Support for Ukraine could face an increasingly difficult battle as the Republican Party not only retained control of the House of Representatives, but also won a majority in the Senate in November's elections, the Kyiv Independent noted.