Biden signs bill to support Ukraine with additional $40 billion

President Biden signed legislation to support Ukraine with additional $40 billion in U.S. assistance as the Russian invasion approaches its fourth month.

The legislation, passed by Congress with bipartisan support, deepens the U.S. commitment to Ukraine at a time of uncertainty about the war's future. Ukraine has successfully defended Kyiv and Russia has refocused its offensive on the country's east, but American officials warn of the potential for a prolonged conflict.

The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it is smaller than an earlier emergency measure that provided $13.6 billion.

The legislation will provide $20 billion in military assistance, and will ensure a steady stream of advanced weapons that have been used to sabotage Russia's advances. There is more than $8 billion in general economic support, $5 billion to address global food shortages that could result from the collapse of Ukrainian agriculture and more than $1 billion to help refugees.

Biden signed the measure under unusual circumstances. A U.S. official brought the bill on a commercial flight to Seoul to the president to sign because he's in the middle of a trip to Asia, according to a White House official.

The logistics reflect a sense of urgency around continuing U.S. support for Ukraine, but also the overlapping international challenges facing Biden. Biden signed an unrelated measure that was intended to increase access to baby formula at a time when supplies are scarce in the United States. The legislation will allow the government benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children - better known as WIC - to be used to buy more types of infant formula.