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Congressional Research IService
Informing the legislitive debate since 1914
Updated February 15, 2024
Russia's War on Ukraine: U.S. Policy and the Role of Congress
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a new war against
Ukraine, a country Russia first invaded in 2014 and has
partially occupied for nearly a decade. The war is estimated
to have led to hundreds of thousands of casualties and the
current displacement of more than 10 million people as of
January 2024. Ukraine is continuing to wage defensive and
counteroffensive operations bolstered by extensive military
assistance, mainly from the United States and Europe; since
mid-2023, warfighting has been largely attritional and has
focused on the seizure of individual towns and settlements
or other localized objectives.
The General Assembly ... reaffirms its commitment
to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial
integrity of Ukraine [and] declares that the unlawful
actions of the Russian Federation ... have no validity
under international law.
U.N. General Assembly Resolution ES-I 1/4, Oct. 12, 2022
The United States, NATO, the European Union (EU) and
member states, and other partners regard the war against
Ukraine as unprovoked and unjustified. The United
States, in coordination with the EU and others, has provided
substantial assistance to Ukraine, has imposed a series of
increasingly severe sanctions on Russia and its enablers,
and has sought to promote accountability for Russian war
crimes. To deter further aggression, the United States and
NATO have increased their military presence in Europe. In
the United States, policymakers and observers are debating
the scope and scale of assistance to Ukraine, the impact of
sanctions, and the implications of a protracted conflict.
Congress may consider additional actions and oversight
with respect to these and related issues.
Assistance to Ukraine
Congress enacted four supplemental appropriations laws for
FY2022 and FY2023 providing assistance to Ukraine and
countries affected by the war in Ukraine, as well as related
funding. Of a total $113.4 billion in emergency
appropriations made available by these laws, Congress
appropriated about $88.7 billion for assistance to Ukraine
and other countries affected by the war. Of this amount,
about $48.7 billion was for security assistance, $30.1 billion
for economic assistance, and $9.9 billion for humanitarian
assistance. Another $23 billion was appropriated to support
U.S. military operations in Europe and other U.S. agency
responses to the war, including for sanctions enforcement
and refugee and entrant assistance. About $1.7 billion was
appropriated for other global assistance purposes.
Since February 2022, for Ukraine specifically, the Biden
Administration has committed $44.2 billion in security
assistance, $22.9 billion in direct financial assistance, and
$2.3 billion in humanitarian assistance. The Administration
also has provided assistance for Ukraine's energy,
governance, and agriculture sectors, among others, and to
support the needs of Ukrainian refugees in other countries.
On February 13, 2024, the Senate passed the National
Security Act, 2024 (H.R. 815, as amended), by a vote of 70-
29. If enacted, Division A of the act would provide
approximately $60 billion for Ukraine-related activities out
of $95.3 billion in total funding. This amount includes at
least $13.4 billion to replenish U.S. Department of Defense
(DOD) equipment stocks that are to be transferred to
Ukraine, at least $13.8 billion in other security assistance to
Ukraine, at least $7.85 billion in economic aid (including
direct financial support) to the Ukrainian government, and
additional funds for DOD and other agencies to support the
U.S. response to the war.
As of January 2024, EU institutions and member states had
made available an estimated $77 billion in assistance for
Ukraine since February 2022, including about $30 billion in
security assistance. In February 2024, EU leaders approved
an additional $54 billion in assistance to Ukraine, to be
disbursed over the 2024-2027 time period. The EU has
allocated an additional $18 billion to provide for the needs
of Ukrainian refugees in Europe; individual EU members
also have provided refugee assistance. Other countries,
including the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and
Norway, also have provided assistance to Ukraine.
San ctions
The United States, the EU, and others also have responded
to Russia's war on Ukraine with sanctions. Since February
2022, the United States has imposed sanctions on more than
3,500 individuals and entities, including Russian President
Vladimir Putin, other Russian political and economic elites,
Russia's legislature, defense and technology firms, strategic
state-owned companies, and facilitators of sanctions
evasion. U.S. sanctions restrict Russia's central bank from
drawing on its dollar-denominated reserves, prohibit most
major Russian banks from conducting transactions in U.S.
dollars or with U.S. persons, and bar new U.S. investment
in Russia. The United States has expanded export controls
affecting Russia's access to sensitive or needed U.S.-origin
technologies; banned the import of energy, gold, diamonds
and certain other goods from Russia; banned the export of
luxury goods and certain services to Russia; raised tariffs
on many imports from Russia; and prohibited Russian use
of U.S. airspace and ports.
In addition to executive branch actions, the 117th Congress
suspended normal trade relations with Russia and its ally
Belarus (P.L. 117-110), prohibited the import of Russian oil
and other energy products (P.L. 117-109), and established
sanctions on foreign persons who engage in gold
transactions with Russia (P.L. 117-263, §5590).](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/goveoiu0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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