US House fails to support lend-lease for Ukraine on 2025, Ukraine's ambassador

According to Ukraine's ambassador, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2025, passed by the US Senate, included a provision to extend the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. The Embassy of Ukraine in the US actively advocated for it.

"However, the version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives did not contain such a provision. The consolidated text of the bill does not include this clause," Oksana Markarova noted.

Nonetheless, she stated that the embassy continues to work actively to preserve this mechanism, which is also supposed in the bipartisan and bicameral "Stand with Ukraine Act."

What is Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease, officially known as the Defense Aid Act of the United States, is a policy under which the US provides its allies with ammunition, equipment, food, strategic raw materials (including petroleum products), and other resources.

This aid is granted on the basis that it is essential for the defense of the United States. It includes military ships, aircraft, and other weapons.

The Lend-Lease Act was enacted twice in history - first on March 11, 1941, during World War II, and the second time on May 9, 2022, for Ukraine, following Russia's invasion.

Approval of 2025 defense budget by US House of Representatives

The US House of Representatives approved the 2025 defense budget (National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)). 281 members of Congress supported the decision, while 140 lawmakers (16 Republicans and 124 Democrats) voted against it.

As reported by The Hill, the budget allocates $883.7 billion for US defense. The document includes funding for establishing a special Taiwan fund modeled after the initiative for aid to Ukraine.

The next step is for the NDAA to be approved by the US Senate, which is expected to happen next week.