The relevant committees of both houses of the US Congress agreed on a draft defense budget for next year – it will amount to a record $847.3 billion. Of these, $800 million will be directed to military assistance to Ukraine – $500 million more than the White House requested.
The project envisages that the United States will be able to "replenish the stocks of comparable equipment of its allies and partners" that was transferred to Ukraine, and expedite the delivery of critically needed ammunition to the country.
Another $6 billion will be allocated to contain Russia in Europe (the European Deterrence Initiative). The draft refers to a five-year ban on military cooperation with Russia. In addition, the United States will seek the exclusion of Russia from the G20 and other international organizations.
The draft budget also provides for the introduction of secondary sanctions against those involved in transactions with Russian gold. This also applies to the gold reserves of the Central Bank located outside the country.
The budget for last year was $740.5 billion, of which about $4 billion was used to contain Russia in Europe and help Ukraine.