Ukraine owes the U.S. $4.65 billion in debt. The Biden administration is trying to get that debt forgiven so that Ukraine can pay more for the war before Donald Trump takes over the American government.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, confirmed that the Biden-led government had “taken the step” needed to cancel Ukraine’s debts. This means that Congress will now make the choice.
Miller also said that he would be “surprised” if the U.S. Congress turned down the Biden administration’s plans to forgive debt, since there is “overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress for providing assistance.”
Trump, who will be president on January 20, 2025, has said many times that he will end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in a day.” There are worries in the Biden administration that this could lead to the new president ending U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Reuters says that before the June elections in the U.S., two of Trump’s top military aides gave the Republican candidate a plan to end the war by saying that Ukraine would only get more weapons if it started talking to Russia.
On Monday, the Biden administration said that Ukraine could use long-range missiles provided by the United States to attack Russian territory. After getting the missiles from the US, Ukraine’s military fired them at military bases in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast this week.
The United States has given $175 billion to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. This comes in five different financial aid packages. The United States is the biggest financial backer of Ukraine’s war effort.
Since Russia’s first invasion, the war between Russia and Ukraine has gotten much worse. In August, Ukraine took over Russian territory in Kursk Oblast, making it the first time since World War II that Russian land had been occupied by a foreign power.
Recently, North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia to help that country fight the war, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
