U.S. allocating another $4.5 bln as direct budget support to Ukraine - Treasury Dept

WASHINGTON. Nov 22 (Interfax) - The United States is allocating another $4.5 billion to Ukraine as direct budgetary support; the distribution of funds will begin in the coming weeks, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said on Tuesday.

"Today, the United States continued to uphold its unwavering commitment to Ukraine with the mobilization of an additional $4.5 billion in grants for direct budget support," Yellen said in a statement published on the website of the Department of the Treasury.

According to the statement, the aid is aimed at "bolstering economic stability and supporting core government services, including wages for hospital workers, government employees, and teachers as well as social assistance for the elderly and vulnerable."

In light of those funds, the U.S. has already allocated $13 billion as direct budget support, she said.

It was reported earlier that U.S. military assistance to Kyiv totals $21.5 billion since late February.