Ukraine still has not received Lend-Lease weapons: US uses other ways

Washington does not yet use Lend-Lease in order to save the Ukrainian budget from suffering huge expenses in the future; the US military aid is now being transferred to Ukraine under other programs.

Source: Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in a comment to Hromadske news agency

Details: Nikolenko has explained that the Lend-Lease mechanism implies the fact that the United States of America can transfer their defence equipment to Ukraine for rent or on leasing terms.

Quote: "The advantage of this tool is the speed of decision-making by the U.S. government, according to a simplified procedure, without excessive bureaucracy and the need for votes on each package of aid to Ukraine in the US Congress. The disadvantage is that the volume of supplies of American weapons within the limits of Lend-Lease directly depends on the financial capabilities of Ukraine."

Details: Nikolenko states that at this stage of the war, the USA decides to provide military aid to Ukraine at the expense of their own federal budget, since the insufficiency of aid or its ineffectiveness "will have fatal consequences for the entire free democratic world."

As the spokesperson emphasises, within the framework of the relevant US law on additional appropriations for the support of Ukraine, Kyiv currently receives security and defence assistance under three programs: Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Foreign Military Financing (FMF), and Replenishment of U.S. weapons stocks.

Under these programs, military aid is provided free of charge. That is, the current programs, unlike Lend-Lease, do not provide for compensation from Ukraine for the cost of the handed weapons, military equipment and ammunition.

"In addition to the bilateral dimension of assistance from the United States, the American side was the initiator of the creation of the Contact Group on the Defence of Ukraine, in the work of which 50 countries currently participate. Thanks to joint diplomatic efforts and the leading role of the United States, it was possible to mobilise the provision of weapons to Ukraine by NATO members and other partners at a cost of US$40 billion," said Nikolenko.

More than US$19.3 billion out of US$ 40 billion came from the USA.

Currently, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, together with other state bodies, is working to obtain aid from allies for better protection against aerial threats.

Background: Joe Biden, the U.S. President, signed the law on Lend-Lease for Ukraine on 9 May. It took effect on 1 October.

The document provides an opportunity to significantly speed up the supply of weapons, transport, food and other aid for rent or free of charge from the USA to Ukraine. Thanks to Lend-Lease, the White House will not have to wait for a special allocation of funds for this purpose by the Congress.

The Lend-Lease program was last used during World War II. At that time, the USA supplied the Allies with ammunition, equipment and other necessary raw materials and food for the fight against the Nazi Germany.

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