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| Sevastopol, Ukraine (NASA, International Space Station Science, 08/05/09) (Photo credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center) |
Today the White House announced its new
assistance package to the #Ukraine totaling $50 million. There will
be $11.4 million to support the integrity of the May elections, to be
used for voter education, transparency and oversight of the election
process, and security. Along with the already signed $1 billion
loan guarantee, to help Ukraine fulfill its financial obligations and
Ukraine citizens that have been impacted by the economic adjustments,
we will provide technical experts from the U.S. Treasury Department
to help in the allocation of loans and funds so that all regions of
Ukraine will benefit.
Attorney General Holder will co-host an
international conference in London April 29-30 to help identify,
trace, and recover proceeds of corruption stolen by the former
regime. The United States will provide advice and assistance in the
creation of a vetted anti-corruption unit and other U.S. government
agencies will help Ukraine meet immediate and longer term energy
needs.
U.S. will also provide an additional $8
million of non-lethal military assistance that include supplies of
Explosive Ordinance Disposal equipment and hand held radios for
Ukraine’s Armed Forces, as well as engineering equipment,
communications equipment, vehicles, and non-lethal individual
tactical gear for Ukraine’s Border Guard Service. This is in
addition to the $3 million of Meals Ready to Eat and nearly $7
million of health and welfare assistance the United States is already
providing to Ukraine.
The White House also announced its
intent to set-up a new bilateral visa that will extend the standard
validity of visas for businesspeople and tourists from 5 years to 10
years on a negotiated reciprocal basis.
