Washington: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday formally signed a $95 billion war aid measure package into law that includes military assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while also including a provision that would force social media platform TikTok to be sold or be banned in the US. This came after the US Senate passed the package after months of delays following a furious debate over US priorities.
The announcement marks an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine. “We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done,” Biden said at White House event to announce the signing. “Now we need to move fast, and we are.”
But significant damage has been done to the Biden administration’s effort to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion during the funding impasse that dates back to August, when the Democratic president made his first emergency spending request for Ukraine aid. Even with a burst of new weapons and ammunition, it’s unlikely Ukraine will immediately recover after months of setbacks.
Biden approved immediately sending Ukraine $1 billion in military assistance and said the shipment would begin arriving in the “next few hours” — the first tranche from about $61 billion allocated for Ukraine.
