WASHINGTON, December 12. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden announced that he approved the provision of a new military aid package to Ukraine worth $200 million, according to the communique published by the White House.

According to the document, Biden said during the meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that he approved allocation of additional $200 million for aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, he said that the US Congress should negotiate the provision of supplemental funding for support for Kiev.

The US Administration filed a request for supplemental funding for fiscal year 2024, which began in the US on October 1, to the US Congress. The request primarily focuses on provision of aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as countering China and Russia in the Asia Pacific Region. Overall, the Administration would like to obtain about $106 billion for those purposes.

The further fate of this request and the alternative bills remains unclear. A number of House and Senate Republicans spoke against providing further financial aid to Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated his intent to condition the provision of further aid to Ukraine to the tightening of the control over the US’ southern border. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell spoke in a similar sense.

On December 6, the bill on provision of new major aid to Ukraine and Israel, as well as on countering Russia and China in the Asia Pacific, failed a procedural vote in the Senate, despite Biden’s special address to the Congress, in which he called on the lawmakers to approve the spending before they break for the holiday recess.