By KYIV. Dec 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The profile committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate managed to agree on the draft defense budget of the country for the 2023 fiscal year worth $847.3 billion.
"We are pleased to announce we’ve come to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act," according to the statement.
In it, the committees urged Congress to "quickly pass the bill and the president to sign it when it hits his desk."
The explanatory notes to the document indicate the United States will allocate $6 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative. According to the text, this is $2.1 billion more than the request, which amounted to $3.9 billion. The decision was made because the rules-based international order faces challenges from Beijing and Moscow.
The draft document proposes the introduction of sanctions for participation in gold and foreign exchange transactions with Russia. In addition, the ban on cooperation with Russia in the military sphere is extended for another five years.
The draft budget also states that it is envisaged to expand and modify the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, for which an additional $800 million will be allocated in 2023.
