The US Senate has approved an increase in aid to Ukraine to $750 million
The US Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to extend US security assistance to Ukraine and increase the authorised funding to $750 million. The decision marks the latest initiative by Congress against the backdrop of reduced support for Kyiv from President Donald Trump’s administration during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Senate version of the US National Defence Authorisation Act also contains a provision to rename the Department of Defence as the Department of War. This was reported to Reuters by two sources familiar with the content of the bill.
The Republican majority on the committee has finalised its own version of the annual defence bill, which sets out the Pentagon’s policy. The document provides for the allocation of $750 million to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Under this programme, US companies receive funding to produce weapons for the Ukrainian military.
The total funding provided for in the bill amounts to $1.15 trillion. The document regulates the procurement of ships, aircraft and missile systems, issues relating to military pay, and responses to geopolitical challenges.
The published text also prohibits the use of funds provided for by the law for any actions that would recognise Russia’s sovereignty over internationally recognised Ukrainian territory. In addition, the US Department of Defence is proposed to provide Kyiv with intelligence support for military operations to defend or reclaim these territories.
The Senate bill was introduced a week after the House of Representatives backed a separate aid package for Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia.
The document also provides for multi-year procurement of a range of ammunition and weapons, including Boeing F-15EX fighter jets and Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.
However, the bill still has to go through several stages of approval. Once approved by the full House of Representatives and the Senate, both versions of the bill must be reconciled. After that, the compromise version will be put to a vote again in both houses of Congress and sent to the White House for the US president to sign or veto.
The version of the bill approved by the House of Representatives committee also backed Donald Trump’s initiative to rename the Department of Defence as the Department of War. This idea has been criticised by representatives of the Democratic Party.
Although in the early years following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a significant proportion of US lawmakers supported Kyiv, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, some of his closest Republican allies began to adopt a more cautious stance towards Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, the volume of US aid to Kyiv has been significantly reduced. Meanwhile, hostilities continue and the negotiation process remains deadlocked. Ukraine rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand to cede territories that have been under Ukrainian control since 2022.
