U.S. President Joe Biden arrived at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 20th, disembarked from his official aircraft Air Force One, and boarded a car. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting South Korea, has signed a $40 billion (approximately 51.12 trillion KRW) Ukraine aid budget bill, AP News and others reported on the 21st.
It is rare for a U.S. president to sign a bill while on an overseas trip, which is interpreted as reflecting the urgency of support for Ukraine.
The bill consists of $20.1 billion (25.6878 trillion KRW) in military aid to Ukraine, $8 billion (10.224 trillion KRW) in economic aid, and about $5 billion (6.39 trillion KRW) in food aid budget.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill to the Senate on the 10th with bipartisan support, but the bill's passage was delayed as some Republican senators opposed expedited review in the Senate.
The Senate passed the bill on the 19th, but it was after President Biden boarded the plane to South Korea.
Because of this, a U.S. government official flew the bill to Seoul on a commercial flight, and President Biden was able to sign the bill during his visit to South Korea, a White House official said.
Since the Russian invasion, the total amount of U.S. support for Ukraine has exceeded $50 billion (63.9 trillion KRW).
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