The White House supports the draft U.S. defense budget for 2019, which foresees the provision of $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said.

"White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders expressed support for a consolidated draft U.S. defense budget, which was adopted on Thursday by the House of Representatives of the Congress by an absolute majority of 359 to 54," reads a report posted on the website of the Ukrainian service of the Voice of America on Friday, July 27.

In general, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 envisages $717 billion.

"The draft already has support in the Senate, according to Politico, and can be backed by senators as early as next week. Then the document will be submitted to President Donald Trump for signature," the Voice of America reports.

It notes that the document includes clauses on the extension of cooperation with Ukraine in the issue of cybersecurity, which provides for assistance to Kyiv in strengthening its own capabilities to protect against cyberattacks.

The section on "enhancing deterrence against Russian aggression in Europe" mentions the strengthening of the security policy in helping Ukraine and supporting defense sector reforms.

"The draft budget for 2019 proposes to 'develop and implement a comprehensive security cooperation strategy that rationalizes and prioritizes support for allies and partners in Europe, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia' and 'explore increasing the frequency, scale, and scope of NATO and other multilateral exercises in the Black Sea with the participation of Ukraine and Georgia'," the report says.

As reported, on July 23, the U.S. Congress recommended extending financial assistance to Ukraine for defense needs in the fiscal year 2019.

According to a report on the defense budget for next year, which was published on July 24, the Congress recommended providing $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

On July 27, the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress adopted the draft defense budget, which foresees $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine.