United States Announces Launch of Lend-Lease for Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act live.

The document will allow the United States to significantly speed up the supply of arms, transport, food, and other assistance to Kyiv for rent or free of charge. Ukraine will also receive greater financial assistance than before. The law allows de facto arms transfers free of charge provided that a recipient country pays later.

“Every day, Ukrainians fight for their lives. The cost of the fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is even more costly,” the American leader stressed.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Joe Biden for signing the lend-lease act.

“Today’s signing of the law on Lend-Lease is a historic step. I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine. And in Europe. Like 77 years ago,” Zelensky posted on Twitter.

Background

The Land-Lease Act was first passed by the US Congress in March 1941. It provided material assistance to European allies in the fight against Nazism.

The United States transferred, in part or free of charge to the Allies:

• weapons and ammunition
• equipment
• food
• strategic raw materials, including oil products.

Bohdan Marusyak