The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill providing $60 billion in aid for Ukraine on Sunday. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, welcomed the news but urged Washington to swiftly sign the bill into law and begin the actual arms transfer, stating that long-range weapons and air defense systems were top priorities.
“I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance for victory,” Zelenskiy said through an interpreter.
He kept pushing American legislators to move quickly to get the bill passed by the Senate during the interview. He claimed that in order to reverse its military fortunes, Ukraine desperately needed American air defense systems and long-range missiles.
With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $95 billion legislation package that will give Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine security aid. Due to the opposition of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who lobbied Republican senators to reject it, aid for Ukraine had been delayed for months.
Russia is gradually advancing in eastern Ukraine, nearly 26 months after the invasion of 2022, and it has increased its shelling of cities and towns located behind the front lines as a result of a reduction in Western military support.
The bill now heads to the Senate, which is led by Democrats and approved a similar bill more than two months ago. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has been pushed by senior Senate Republican Mitch McConnell and Democratic President Joe Biden to put it to a vote.
Tuesday is when the Senate is scheduled to start debating the bill, with some preliminary votes scheduled for the afternoon. It is anticipated that the final passage will occur sometime next week, paving the door for Biden to sign it into law.
When asked when Ukraine will “turn the corner on Russia” and if Kyiv would want as much assistance this time next year, Zelenskiy declined to give a timeframe.
According to him, Kyiv has lost the initiative in the combat in the country’s east, but with the arrival of weaponry, it will have the opportunity to bring the situation under control.
