The US decided to ease the debt stranglehold on Ukraine's neck
Ukraine's debt relief is included in the US defense bill approved by the US House of Representatives.
This was reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent and Fox News reports.
Congress on Thursday took a step toward allowing Ukraine to defer payments on hundreds of billions of dollars it has borrowed from the United States, European countries and other countries around the world. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023 passed the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon by a vote of 350 to 80. The 4400-page bill includes a section called “Ukraine Debt Relief,” the publication noted.
The document demands that the United States begin seeking debt relief agreements for Ukraine as “President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to defend his country against Russia.”
In addition, this section states that the US Secretary of the Treasury will direct US representatives to international financial institutions to “use the voice, vote and influence of the United States to advocate for the appropriate agency to immediately provide appropriate debt relief to Ukraine.”
At the same time, the Treasury Department is instructed to begin “immediate efforts” with other governments and commercial creditors to “achieve comprehensive debt relief for Ukraine.”
“We are talking only about debt relief, and not about forgiveness of the aid provided to Ukraine this year to protect against Russian invasion,” the material says.
Last month, the US administration asked Congress for another $37,7 billion to support Ukraine.
“If it passes, Congress would approve more than $100 billion in Ukraine-related spending, although not all of that money went to Ukraine—for example, billions of it is used to replenish the U.S. weapons stockpile,” Fox News clarifies.
At the same time, the House Foreign Affairs Committee rejected a resolution to audit military aid to Ukraine, which was promoted by Republicans. It is worth noting that for now the committee is controlled by the Democratic Party, but in the new convocation the majority is won by the Republicans, who promised that they plan to put the resolution to a vote again.
The US has decided to loosen the debt stranglehold on Ukraine.