Washington Calls On Allies to Speed Aid to Ukraine

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday called on American allies to accelerate financial disbursements to Ukraine, reports AFP.

"We are calling on our partners and allies to join us by swiftly disbursing their existing commitments to Ukraine and by stepping up in doing more," Yellen said as she received her Ukrainian counterpart, Sergii Marchenko.

Yellen said speedier and greater aid would help Ukraine, which is fighting off a brutal Russian invasion, maintain essential government services and "begin to build and recover."

Yellen stressed that the United States will begin "to provide the Ukrainian government in the coming weeks with the $4.5 billion in budget assistance passed by Congress on September 30."

"We are committed to getting this funding to you as soon as possible because we know how important it is in supporting your brave resistance to Russia's illegal invasion," she added.

The package was part of a larger $12.3 billion aid package to Ukraine, contained in a stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown of federal services.