US aid to Ukraine to come under scanner

New Delhi: The US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability has sought to scrutinise the $113 billion committed in humanitarian, financial and military aid to Ukraine, against the backdrop of corruption scandal in Ukraine. “Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Congress has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance. It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse,” read a letter from the committee to Lloyd Austin, Secretary US Department of Defence, Antony Blinken, Secretary US Department of State, and Samantha Power, Power Administrator US Agency for International Development. The committee has asked the respective departments to produce documents regarding the aid. “The Committee seeks documents and information to understand how the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (State), and the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) are conducting oversight of these funds,” it added. The letter mentions US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby’s 25 January claims that the US aid to had “not fallen prey to any kind of corruption in Ukraine.” It notes that the claims came just a day after Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy fired seven top officials over a corruption scandal – which included reports that Ukraine’s military had agreed to pay inflated prices for food meant for its troops. It questions if Kirby was aware of the scandal when he made the claim a day later. “Based on Mr. Kirby’s remarks, however, the US National Security Council appears unaware of this corruption scandal, heightening concerns that U.S. agencies are not conducting oversight of taxpayer assistance to Ukraine,” the letter said. The Republicans, who now control the House, have called for more scrutiny of the aid flowing to Ukraine. Kevin McCarthy, the House Speaker, had last year before the mid-terms said that there won’t be anymore “blank cheques” for Ukraine if the Republicans get a majority. Earlier this year in January, the CIA director William J Burns travelled to Ukraine secretly to meet Zelenskyy. Apart from the obvious discussions about the much expected Russian spring offensive, Burns reportedly told Zelenskyy that US military aid may not come through as easily in the coming months. Zelenskyy and his aides went away from the meeting with the impression that the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv remains strong and the $45 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine passed by Congress in December would last at least through July or August. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.