U.S. plans to provide $1.5 bln to Ukraine on monthly basis over next few months - State Dept official

WASHINGTON. June 14 (Interfax) - The U.S. authorities plan to disburse around $1.5 billion to Ukraine every month to maintain the functioning of the Ukrainian government, U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Dereck Hogan said.

"We've already committed a billion dollars for that going through mechanisms to be able to deliver assistance, direct budget support. We've got more in the pipeline. Roughly $1.5 billion per month over the next four to five months," Hogan said during a workshop at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Direct support for the Ukrainian authorities is a priority of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, he said.

The U.S. should consider the mid-term and long-term perspectives, and its efforts should now be focused on maintaining the operation of the Ukrainian government, Hogan said.

The U.S. and NATO allies are continuing massive deliveries of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Office of the Ukrainian President, said earlier that Kyiv would like to receive 300 multiple launch rocket systems from the West.

Meanwhile, both former and current U.S. officials have underscored the need to keep tabs on how Kyiv is using the assistance provided to it by the U.S., The Wall Street Journal said.