US Senate committee OKs lethal aid to Ukraine through 2026

A bill offering military aid, including lethal weapons,
passed the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 21. The aid, under
the Ukraine Security Partnership Act, totals $300 million per year through
2026, with $150 million of that subject to conditions, rferl.org reports. Support
was unanimous, but the bill needs to go through both houses of Congress before
being signed by President Biden. Ukrinform.com reported on April 21 that U.S.
State Department spokesman Ned Price stated in a press conference on the same
day that the U.S. would continue supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,
which, “includes, inter alia, lethal defense systems.”

James Hydzik: The lethal aid is less likely to come with
strings attached, such as the stricture that Javelin anti-tank systems be kept
in western Ukraine. However,
despite the urgency of the current situation along Ukraine’s borders, placing
conditions on half of the aid shows that Washington is not finished insisting
on reforms.