This week, the US Congress will consider amendments to the draft law on the defense budget for 2024, including the extension of lend-lease loan for Ukraine. This was stated by Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova during a telethon.

"Our very important tactical task now, which we are working on with our American colleagues, is to adopt an additional budget for Ukraine for the entire year 2024," Markarova said.

She added that it is an internal matter for the United States to decide what kind of package it will be.

"We will be grateful for our help and hope that in the near future - within the next two weeks - both parties will find a compromise and adopt a package that will contain exactly the assistance we are waiting for - military, direct budget, humanitarian, and energy," the ambassador emphasized.

According to her, this is now the number one priority. At the same time, Markarova noted, a lot of work is being done in parallel on specific weapons needed by Ukraine, the expansion of US sanctions and the confiscation of Russian funds in favor of Ukraine.

"The fifth track is the so-called military budget, the NDA law, which is being considered this week. This is the project in which we ask both the House and the Senate to extend the Lend-Lease Act until 2024," Markarova said.

She noted that this is an additional tool, that Ukraine wants to receive armed grant programs.

"But even if we run out of them earlier, it will be very good to have this tool as an auxiliary tool," the ambassador explained.