(RoyalPatriot.com )- Multiple Biden administration officials have made unprecedented trips to Ukraine recently to reinforce America’s support for the country in its war with neighboring Russia.
On Monday, Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, made a trip to Kyiv that was unannounced. Her trip was part of the U.S. effort to show they are continuing to support Ukraine, only days after it passed the one-year anniversary of when Russia invaded them.
During her trip, Yellen was expected to be a part of “meetings and engagements,” as well as announce that the U.S. would be sending $1.25 billion in budget assistance and economic aid to Ukraine. This is now becoming a divisive issue throughout the United States, as Ukraine continues to receive billions of dollars of support from America.
A readout from the Treasury Department pointed that that these funds represented the first transfer of budget support the U.S. has pledged to Ukraine. The total sum of support is almost $10 billion, and will be paid out in the first three quarters of this year.
During her trip, Yellen made it a point to emphasize that all the economic support the U.S. and other western allies are sending the government in Ukraine is helping them to provide various critical services to residents. In addition, the aid is ensuring that the country’s economy remains resilient, which results in “bolstering Ukraine’s ability to succeed on the battlefield,” an official from the Treasury Department said.
In remarks that she gave as part of a bilateral meeting she held on Monday with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, Yellen said:
“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes … The U.S. is proud to be Ukraine’s largest bilateral donor.”
The New York Times reported that Yellen laid a ceremonial wreath in St. Michael’s Square in the country’s capital of Kyiv to honor all Ukrainians who have been killed during the war. She also visited one of the school’s in Ukraine that has received budget assistance from the U.S.
Zelensky released a statement of his own on Monday, thanking America for “powerfully supporting us since the first days of this war not only with weapons, but also on the financial front.”
Yellen’s visit came only a few days after President Joe Biden made a surprise trip of his own to Kyiv to reiterate America’s support for Ukraine. Both of these trips seemed rather ceremonious in nature – both because they came near the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion and because continuing to send support to Ukraine has become a hot-button topic back in Washington.
Many Republicans are calling for an end to the limitless aid the U.S. is sending Ukraine, especially since there doesn’t seem to be any checks and balances in place as to how Ukraine is spending the money.
China has also said that the U.S. is being “hypocritical” when it’s warning them not to send Russia weapons, yet it’s sending the same – plus financial support – to Ukraine.
