[이데일리 방성훈 기자] US President Joe Biden has signed a law accelerating the shipment of US arms to Ukraine.
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According to Bloomberg News on the 9th (local time), President Biden signed the “Ukrainian Defense of Democracy Arms Lease Act” (S.3522) in the Oval Office on the same day. The bill would streamline complicated procedures to make it easier to send weapons and supplies to Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln previously said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing at the end of last month that it normally takes 72 hours for US arms and munitions to arrive in Ukraine after Biden’s signature.
The bill was drafted on the basis of the law that the United States supported its allies, including Britain, during World War II, and was introduced by nonpartisan senators including Republican John Conin (Texas) and Democrat Ben Cardin (Maryland).
“The bill I signed at the White House today is a bill that directly supports the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian people and the struggle to defend the country and democracy against Putin’s brutal war,” Biden said. It will be another tool in the world.”
“The cost of combat is not cheap, but yielding to aggression costs a lot more,” he added.
President Biden also urged Congress to expedite the $33 billion (about 42 trillion won) budget for the Ukraine war, including $20 billion in military aid requested by Congress on the 28th of last month. The President of the United States can donate surplus munitions to foreign countries without congressional consent.
The US government recently agreed to provide self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, additional ammunition, and hastily developed ‘Ghost’ drones in its two logistical support agreements with Ukraine. In relation to the Javelin missile, which has been particularly active in this war, Lockheed Martin plans to nearly double its production.
