The White House is preparing to send a new funding request to Congress as soon as Thursday for additional Ukraine aid that is likely to last for the next five months, according to administration officials.
The amount of the request was large, but they wouldn't give a specific dollar amount. The officials said some details were still not finalized.
The amount is intended to fund the U.S. military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine through the end of the current federal fiscal year, the officials said. The extended assistance package for Ukraine comes as the Biden administration has said its goals in Ukraine are now to weaken Russia, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put it this week, and U.S. officials are increasingly open that the aim is for Ukraine to win the war against Russia.
The military aid is expected to include capabilities that Ukraine could use now and equipment for the longer term.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. has provided more than $3 billion in military aid. In announcing the most recent $800 million U.S. aid package last week, President Joe Biden said he had run out of funding authorized by Congress for military aid and that he would submit a new request this week.
After NBC News reported that the request would be through the current fiscal year, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that it will definitely be this week. Psaki said that in terms of length or size, I don't have a number for you at this point in time, but there are plans for this to be a proposal to go through the fiscal year, and that will include security or military assistance, humanitarian economic assistance, given those in our opinion will help address a range of needs the Ukrainians have. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he had spoken to the White House about the supplemental funding request and expects it tomorrow.
Schumer said that they believe that we will get a very strong, broad-based request for Ukrainian aid tomorrow.