US releases defense and security aid funds to Ukraine

The US government is releasing funds to support
Ukraine’s reform and self-defense efforts under the new government of President
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Voice of America news agency reported on Sept. 12, citing
government officials. The funds include USD 250 mln from the Department of
Defense and USD 141 mln from the Department of State.

The White House had attempted to withhold the funds
and according to VOA had cited the level of corruption in the Ukrainian
government as the reason. However, members of Congress who pushed for the
funding to go ahead noted that the new government in Ukraine is prioritizing
the defeat of corruption in the country. Zelenskiy says we’re not just going to
fight corruption, we’re going to defeat it,” Republican Senator Ron
Johnson, who met with Zelenskiy in Kyiv, told VOA’s Ukrainian service
Wednesday. “That’s a tall order, but it shows a laudable goal, so we were
very encouraged.”