House approves long-stalled Ukraine aid, but Kyiv will receive only a part of this money

House Speaker Mike Johnson put his political career on the line to push the measure past intense Republican opposition.
Photo: WSJ

The House of Representatives has finally approved the long-stalled Ukraine Aid package, despite the strong objections from the Republican Party. This move comes amidst escalating tensions and geopolitical dynamics that have caught the attention of the global community. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday crushed a putsch by far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Republican rebels — pushing through a $95.3 billion aid package that funds the fight against Russia, the defense of Israel and resistance against China, stresses The New York Post.

Lawmakers in a rare bipartisan effort overwhelmingly approved the four-bill package, including one measure providing $60.8 billion for Ukraine. About 80% of that money will go toward replenishing supplies of US-made weapons and ammunition and other direct military assistance. In means, that the huge money will remain home and will cover the needs of the US Military Complex. Ukraine will get only a small part of this amount.

The approval of this package has not been without controversy, with some Republican lawmakers expressing their discontent and objections. However, the majority of the House recognized the importance of extending aid to Ukraine and ultimately voted in favor of the measure.

The House also voted in favor of a possible ban on the popular social media app, TikTok, in the United States. While this move may come as a surprise to some, it aligns with growing concerns over data security and potential foreign influence. The approval of the Ukraine Aid package and the potential ban on TikTok mark significant developments in the ongoing geopolitical landscape. These decisions signal a shift in priorities for the US, as it seeks to protect its interests and assert its influence on the global stage, writes ‘The Wall Street Journal’.

Looking ahead, these events serve as a reminder of the interconnectedness of political, economic, and technological factors in shaping international relations.

The House swiftly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for Kyiv regime, The Associated Press writes.

In its latest assessment, a Washington-based think tank said that the logistics of getting U.S. assistance to the front line would likely mean that its effect would not be felt for several weeks. “Ukrainian forces may suffer additional setbacks in the coming weeks while waiting for U.S. security assistance that will allow Ukraine to stabilize the front,” the Institute for the Study of War said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that his country’s “warriors on the front lines” would feel the benefit of the aid package.

One such “warrior” is infantry soldier Oleksandr, fighting around Avdeevka, the city in the Donetsk region that Ukraine lost to Russia in February after months of intense combat. “For us it’s so important to have this support from the U.S. and our partners,” Oleksandr told The Associated Press. He did not give his full name for security reasons.

“The Russians come at us in waves — we become exhausted, we have to leave our positions. This is repeated many times,” Oleksandr said. “Not having enough ammunition means we can’t cover the area that is our responsibility to hold when they are assaulting us.”

The situation near Avdeevka causes a nightmare in the USA:

Other Western leaders also lauded the aid package.

“Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO Allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer, in Europe & North America,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on X.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “Ukraine deserves all the support it can get against Russia.”

Her statement was echoed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called it “a strong signal in these times.”

The decision “will make the United States of America richer, further ruin Ukraine and result in the deaths of even more Ukrainians, the fault of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also took to social media to speak against the aid package. The US military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan will aggravate the global crises, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“The military aid earmarked by the United States for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan will exacerbate the global crises, as the military aid to the Kiev regime is direct financial support of terrorist activity, [the aid] to Taiwan is an interference in China’s domestic affairs and to Israel is a direct path to the unprecedented escalation in the region,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.

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