In particular, as the embassy reported, the draft bill envisages assigning Ukraine the status of a major U.S. non-NATO ally which would allow the U.S. to provide Ukraine with weapons under a simplified procedure.
the Ukrainian embassy said, the bill aims to amplify Ukraine’s defense, particularly through “providing military hardware, selling lethal weapons to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, as well as enhancing Ukraine’s ability to confront Russia’s cyberattacks.”
Furthermore, it envisages designating Ukraine as a major non-NATO ally for the period of time up until Ukraine joins the 29-nation alliance in the future, according to the embassy. This status assigned by the U.S. government marks countries that are allies to the U.S. and have a strategic partnership with Washington but are not NATO member nations.
It particularly allows U.S. partner nations to enjoy extended access to U.S. military equipment designated for sale or as defense aid as well as priority deliveries of U.S. military equipment.
Also, an allied nation’s businesses have the opportunity to bid on certain contracts to repair and maintain U.S. military equipment outside the United States.
Since 1989, over 15 countries across the world have been assigned this status, namely: Australia, Israel, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, New Zealand, Argentina, Bahrain, the Philippines, Thailand, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tunisia. Since 2003, Taiwan is also de facto treated as a major non-NATO ally.
http://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ukraine-might-be-designated-as-major-non-nato-us-ally.html