"From our intense work with both parties and committee approval of voting procedures today, I am cautiously optimistic this time," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, told the Kyiv Independent on April 19.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on April 19 that Senate Democrats will support House Speaker Mike Johnson's series of bills that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other priorities if they pass the House.
According to one of the unnamed U.S. defense officials, some of the proposed military equipment is located in Europe and could reach Ukraine within days after a successful vote, while other material would likely take a few weeks.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the close of a visit to the United States that he received "assurances of support" for the proposed military aid package to Ukraine from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
Republican Representative Victoria Spartz, the only U.S. lawmaker born in Ukraine, has submitted amendments reducing the proposed Ukrainian aid package set to be voted on this Saturday in the U.S. House.
"We're going to do what's necessary to make sure the national security bill gets over the finish line," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said. "It's not Johnson's foreign aid package. It's America's foreign aid package in terms of meeting our national security needs."
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is moving forward with his plan to hold a vote on a series of foreign aid bills for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan despite pressure from Republican hardliners, CNN reported on April 17.
After six grueling months, the U.S. House of Representatives may finally be preparing to vote on a new aid package for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on April 16 that following new rounds of talks with House Republicans, he planned to advance three separate aid packages for Ukraine,
Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters on April 11 that an agreement had not yet been reached on advancing a Ukraine aid funding package as negotiations between U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House continue to unfold.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 7 that Ukraine will lose the war against Russia if the U.S. Congress fails to approve military aid to Ukraine.
Victoria Spartz has previously supported aid for Ukraine and spoken about the war in deeply personal terms, but also attracted controversy for her attacks against President Volodymyr Zelensky and Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.
As the world watched in horror at Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion and war against Ukraine in the early months of 2022, Americans rallied firmly behind the embattled eastern European democracy. Shortly after the start of the full-scale war, 79% of U.S. voters supported sending arms to Ukraine, and
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a one-on-one phone call with House Speaker Mike Johnson on March 28, in another indication that the aid was moving forward.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is likely introducing a Ukraine aid bill after Easter, facing potential challenges due to internal party dynamics.
The Republican who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul, said on March 24 that he anticipates Speaker Mike Johnson to introduce a Ukraine aid bill after Easter, even though it may pose a risk of losing support for a leadership vote against him.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed on March 23 a $1.2 trillion spending package that keeps the government funded until the autumn after it cleared Congress hours earlier.
The $300 million was the first tranche of U.S. aid since December 2023 and was only something that the Pentagon was "able to find" based on savings from already completed contracts, General Pat Ryder said.
Munitions for some of Ukraine's air defense systems may be nearly used up by the end of March, the Washington Post reported on March 15, citing unnamed Western officials.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on X on March 16 that he held a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the potential unblocking of aid for Ukraine that has been stuck in Congress since autumn 2023.
According to Bloomberg, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is working on a plan that would involve seizing some of the frozen Russian assets to pay for the bill.
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats began collecting signatures on March 12 to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a Ukraine aid bill via a discharge petition, Reuters reported.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit the United States on March 12, the 25th anniversary of Poland's NATO accession, to advocate for continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Both chambers of the U.S. Congress approved a short-term stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown through the fall, sending it for signature to President Joe Biden.
Congress needs to stand up to Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said during the annual State of the Union address on March 7.
"As the House continues to stall, Russia is gaining ground and Ukraine is being forced to ration ammunition and supplies," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on March 7.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said he keeps working with House Speaker Mike Johnson's office to hold a vote through regular channels but will start collecting signatures to bypass the speaker if he does not comply.
The letter by congressmen Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia warned SpaceX's president, Gwynne Shotwell, that the alleged use of Starlink by Russian forces represented "a serious threat to Ukraine's security, Ukrainian lives, and U.S. national security."
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of delays in U.S. aid to Ukraine to further Russian military efforts, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press conference on March 4.
The House proposal would reportedly allocate $66 billion to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but would not include humanitarian aid and would impose severe restrictions on asylum seekers.
Both chambers of the U.S. Congress approved a short-term stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown, sending it for signature to President Joe Biden, Reuters reported on Feb. 29.
U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Congressional leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, at the White House on Feb. 27 to discuss a funding bill for Ukraine’s security needs, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 25.
"So if you've seen with most of our PDAs (Presidential Drawdown Authority), we've been able to surge systems and capabilities pretty rapidly, within a few days," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in response to a question on how quickly the aid can be delivered.
