Trump Vetoes US Defence Bill for 2021 with Military Aid to Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump has vetoed the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) for 2021 which, in particular, provided for the allocation of USD 250 million in military aid to Ukraine, CNBC reports.

It is reported that the U.S. President blocked the adoption of the budget which provided for the allocation of military aid to Ukraine, as well as the imposition of sanctions against Russia.

The defence bill for 2021 amounted to more than USD 740 billion in spending. Most funds (USD 635.5 billion) were to be allocated for the basic needs of the Pentagon.

The bill also included extending sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream gas pipelines and imposing restrictions on Turkey over the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.

Trump previously threatened not to sign the document. He vetoed NDAA because of the amendment which allowed heads of social networking sites and online platforms to avoid responsibility for the content of comments. According to the President, this posed a serious threat to U.S. national security and election integrity.

Since this document was backed by Congress, the members are likely to override Trump’s veto. Congress must now vote again on this act.

As a reminder, the Senate [the upper chamber of the United States Congress] re-approved the National Defense Authorisation Act for 2021, which provides for assistance to Ukraine, as well as sanctions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Natalia Tolub