US sending additional $5.5 billion in aid to Ukraine
Rescuers remove debris following a Russian missile attack in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, July 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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(NewsNation) — The United States is sending an additional $5.5 billion in aid to Ukraine as the country continues to defend itself against the Russian invasion, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pentagon announced earlier this week.
But there’s a chance you haven’t heard about this story. That’s because 83% of news outlets that reported on this story lean right or fall in the center, according to NewsNation’s partner Ground News, which monitors coverage based on media bias. Only two left-leaning media outlets have reported on the additional support for Ukraine, according to Ground News’ Blindspot report.
The latest round of financial assistance includes $4.5 billion in direct budgetary support to help Ukraine cover urgent government needs such as payments for health care and pensions.
So far, the U.S. has provided $8.5 billion in fiscal support to Ukraine, according to USAID.
In a separate announcement on Monday, the Pentagon authorized an additional $1 billion worth of military assistance to “meet Ukraine’s security and defense needs.”
The latest authorization is the largest military package under President Joe Biden’s drawdown authority to date and marks the 18th such drawdown of equipment for Ukraine since August 2021, according to the Pentagon.
The arms package includes thousands of rounds of ammunition, anti-tank systems, armored vehicles, as well as mortars and other weapons.
In total, the United States has committed approximately $9.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration.
Both aid packages are drawn from the $40 billion Congress approved in May.
On Thursday, multiple European nations, including the U.K., Denmark and Norway pledged an additional $1.5 billion in military assistance for Ukraine.
The commitment follows a Wednesday report out of the Kyiv School of Economics, which estimated the cost of war damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure at more than $110 billion. The report said 304 bridges and more than 900 health care facilities were either destroyed or damaged.
