Political | Process

The $33 billion includes a request for $20.4 billion in additional security and military assistance for Ukraine, as well as additional money to fund U.S. efforts to bolster European security in cooperation with NATO allies.

“It’s not cheap. But caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen,” Biden said Thursday.

“We either back the Ukrainian people as they defend their country, or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression in Ukraine every day,” said Biden.

The administration said this is intended to equip Kyiv and European partners with additional artillery, armored vehicles and anti-armor and anti-air capabilities, accelerate cyber capabilities and advanced air defense systems, and help clear landmines and improvised explosive devices.

Another portion of the $33 billion is a sum of $8.5 billion to help support the Ukrainian economy.

That total will help fund Ukraine’s government, support food, energy, and health care services for the Ukrainian people, and counter Russian disinformation and propaganda narratives, Biden said.

Part of it is also intended to support small- and medium-sized agricultural businesses during the fall harvest, and for natural gas purchases.

This money is likely to come in the form of direct financial assistance, a relatively rare form of international aid.

Most foreign assistance is things that have already been purchased, like weapons and food. It can also come in the form of expertise, aid workers, or loans. Rarely is direct economic support provided. This makes it the closest thing to cash from one government to another.

Biden said the direct U.S. aid to Ukraine’s economy is “going to allow pensions and social support to be paid to the Ukrainian people, so that they have something in their pocket.”