Biden says has signed law on additional military assistance to Ukraine

WASHIGNTON. April 24 (Interfax) - U.S. President Joe Biden has signed a package of bills earlier approved by the U.S. Congress on additional financial assistance to Ukraine, Israel and the allies in the Indo-Pacific.

"I just signed into law the national security package that was passed by the House of Representatives this weekend and by the Senate yesterday. It's going to make America safer. It's going to make the world safer," Biden said in his address to the U.S. people.

The package also includes a bill that envisages the possibility of introduction of new sanctions against Russia, China and Iran, including the transfer of Russia's frozen assets to Kiev and the blocking of the social network TikTok, which belongs to the private Chinese company ByteDance.

"In the next few hour we will begin sending the equipment to Ukraine for air defense munitions, for artillery, for rocket systems, and armored vehicles," Biden said.

This package of assistance "is an investment not only in Ukraine's security but in Europe's security and our own security," he said.

The law on assistance to Ukraine envisages the provision to Kiev of some $61 billion. According to the document, assistance to Kiev will now be provided on credit, not free of charge.

Not the entire proposed amount will be used for providing weapons. More than $20 billion will be used for replenishing the U.S. military arsenals. Another part of the money will be used to finance the operations of the U.S. military near Ukraine. Some $14 billion will be used for Ukraine to buy itself weapons.

The package also includes a law on the provision of additional military assistance to Israel worth some $26.4 billion. Of this money, $9.1 billion will be used for humanitarian needs.

Assistance will also be provided to the U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific. In particular, $8.1 billion will be provided for countering China and another $2 billion will be provided for financing Taiwan and other allies.