White House urges Congress to support Biden's $11.8bn request for Ukraine

This is reported in an official statement by the US Treasury Department.

"Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power sent a letter to Congress urging approval of the Biden Administration’s request to provide $11.8 billion in direct budget support to Ukraine as part of the President’s national security supplemental package comprising military, security, economic, and humanitarian assistance," the statement said.

The document recalls that the package initiated by President Biden includes military, economic and humanitarian assistance "aims to preserve US national security interests at a time of global challenges".

The letter to Congress emphasizes that direct budgetary support for Ukraine is "inextricably linked to its success on the battlefield in resisting Russia’s illegal invasion". It allows Ukraine to maintain its governance and economy and focus its resources on defense.

"This funding benefits from an unprecedented level of robust oversight and transparency, and is bolstered by significant budget support from the European Union, other G7 partners, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)," the document says.

• Last month, US President Joe Biden submitted a $106 billion request to Congress, which includes, among other things, assistance to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, measures to strengthen the US border and other appropriations.