Biden seeks $33 billion war chest to support Ukraine, Zelensky wants quick approval

President JoeBidenasked Congress for $33billiontosupportUkraine- a dramatic escalation of USfunding for thewarwith Russia - and the Ukrainian president pleaded with lawmakers to give the request a swiftapproval.

The funding request includes over $20billionfor weapons, ammunition and other military assistance, as well as $8.5billionin direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government and $3billionin humanitarian aid. It is intended to cover thewareffort's needs through September, the end of the fiscal year.

"We need this bill tosupportUkrainein its fight for freedom,"Bidensaid at the White House after signing the request on Thursday. "The cost of this fight - it's not cheap - but caving to aggression is going to be more costly."

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The United States has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces toUkrainebut Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

Ukrainian president VolodymyrZelenskyhailed what he called "a very important step" by the United States.

"I am thankful to the American people and personally to PresidentBidenfor it. I hope that Congress willquickly approve this request for help to our state," he said in a late night video address.

Biden's proposal would also let USofficials seize more Russian oligarchs' assets, give the cash from those seizures toUkraine, and further criminalize sanctions dodging, the White House said.

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That would include letting the Justice Department use the strict USracketeering law once deployed against the mafia, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, to build cases against people who evade sanctions.

Bidenalsowantsto give prosecutors more time to build such cases by extending the statute of limitations on money laundering prosecutions to 10 years, instead of five. He would also make it a criminal act to hold money knowingly taken from corrupt dealings with Russia, according to a summary of the legislative proposals.

The measures are part of U.S. efforts to isolate and punish Russia for its Feb. 24 invasion ofUkraine, as well as to help Kyiv recover from awarthat has reduced cities to rubble and forced more than 5 million people to flee abroad.

Bidenhas already asked for record peacetime sums to fund Pentagon research and development, and efforts to counter perceived threats from countries including Russia.

The full package represents a fifth of pre-warUkrainian annual economic output, and the $20billionUSmilitary assistance alone is about a third of what the Russian military spent overall last year, before thewarbegan.

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A package would include food security assistance, economic stimulus forUkraineand funding to use the ColdWar-era Defense Production Act to expand domestic production of key minerals in short supply due to thewar.

But the funding measure may face issues on Capitol Hill.Bidenasked for $22.5billionin money for the COVID-19 response in March and Democrats with narrow control of the Senate and House of Representatives may push to have that passed at the same time as theUkrainemeasure.

While lawmakers are broadlysupportive of spending onUkraine, Republican congressional aides said on Thursday that efforts to combine thewarfunding with the pandemic response could make it difficult to pass.

"I don't care how they do it,"Bidensaid. "They can do it separately or together, but we need them both."

U.S. military aid toUkrainehas topped $3billionsince Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraineand protect it from fascists. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext.

The United States and its European allies have frozen $30billionof assets held by wealthy individuals with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including yachts, helicopters, real estate and art, theBidenadministration has said.