For Ukraine, the aid amounts to around US$60 billion (€57 billion), which is urgently needed. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal urged the US Congress to approve the long-blocked law. He told the BBC the money would be needed “yesterday”.
And: “If we don't protect ourselves, Ukraine will fall.” The global security system will be destroyed and the whole world will have to find a new security system. “Or there will be a lot of conflicts, a lot of wars like this, and at the end of the day it will lead to World War III.”
America as the most important ally
In fact, the United States is considered Ukraine's most important ally in its fight against Russian aggression. Since the start of the war, the US government has provided more than 40 billion euros in military aid to Kiev. According to the US government, funds authorized by Congress for Ukraine were used. The temporary shutdown weakened Ukraine's defenses, as the country lacked weapons and ammunition.
Until this week, however, House Speaker Mike Johnson had been reluctant to schedule a new vote in the face of opposition within his own party — at least prompted by former President Donald Trump, who called on Europe over the weekend. More support for Ukraine.
A revolt by right-wing Republicans
Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Green, for example, has already submitted a motion of no confidence against Johnson. Soon after the draft law became known, he called on Johnson to resign. The speaker “wandered over to the Democrats and embraced Biden's agenda, throwing the Republican Party into disarray.” “Now he's funding wars overseas,” said Green, who is close to Trump.
Rep. Bob Goode, another Republican, called for the vote to be rejected: “Every true conservative America First patriot in the House of Representatives must vote against this foreign aid bill, borrowed without border security!”
America: An important message to the world
Johnson denied the allegations and called the no-confidence motion “absurd” and refused to resign. But with several legislative proposals, particularly aid to Ukraine, he must now succeed in bridging intraparty divisions between moderate Republicans and hardliners.
He wants to accommodate Republicans by splitting the aid package to allow separate votes for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region. Part of the aid to Ukraine is considered a loan.
Johnson spoke of a “very important message” to be sent to the world this week. He would rather send bullets than soldiers to Ukraine. Republicans have a slim majority in the House of Representatives. Due to opposition from the far-right, as the New York Times writes, Ukraine aid will only be available if the Republicans behind Johnson vote for the bill along with the Democrats. Anyway, according to the “NYT”, it was the Democrats who made it possible to vote on Saturday by voting on Thursday evening – after all, they voted unanimously to pass the referendum.
Total aid is $95 billion
The templates released by the group provide $60.84 billion for Ukraine, nearly $26.3 billion to support Israel, and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. US President Joe Biden was also told to deliver long-range ATACMS missile systems to Ukraine “as soon as practicable”. Kiev has believed this for a long time.
In February, the Senate passed its own bill totaling $95 billion (€89.31 billion), including aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. If the House of Representatives passes three separate bills, the two versions must be reconciled.
“Defining moment” for Biden
In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal (“WSJ”), US President Joe Biden called on the US Congress to pass an aid package that has been stalled for months. “While both countries are capable of defending their sovereignty, they are dependent on US support, including arms. This is a defining moment,” Biden wrote. Above all, this is not the time to “let your friends down.”
According to the Kremlin, possible new US weapons for Ukraine will not change the military situation. A large part of the money flows into the US defense sector because the Americans do not forget about them, said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin.
Reports: Ukraine needs help
After more than two years of Russian aggression, the new weapons of the United States and other Western countries have certainly turned the situation in favor of Ukraine. CIA Director William Burns urgently warned on Thursday that without new US military aid, Ukraine will lose its war against aggressor Russia this year.
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) adds: “Ukraine cannot sustain its current position without a swift start to US aid.” If America had allowed Russia to defeat Ukraine now. “These long-term risks and costs far outweigh the short-term cost of resuming support for Ukraine.”
