The Senate passed the $95 billion funding request, including assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, earlier this week. Johnson said, however, he will not put the bill to the vote, arguing that the country should first address the growing number of migrants at the southern border.
Ukrainian troops began running out of ammunition as U.S. assistance has largely run out, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Feb. 14, urging Congress to pass additional funding.
Democratic sources told NBC that U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has backed himself into a corner after a series of inconsistent positions on aid for Ukraine and legislative changes to domestic border issues.
Key developments on Feb. 13 * Syrskyi: Ukraine shifts to defense to drain Russian troops * US Senate passes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, but bill faces uphill battle in Republican-led House * Military: Ukraine reinforcing Avdiivka as Russia continues its offensive * Military intelligence: Russia reportedly buying Starlink in 'Arab countries' * Dnipro
"For God’s sake, it’s dumb, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous, it’s un-American," U.S. President Joe Biden said.
"There is no way in hell" that Russia could lose the war, Elon Musk told the other participants of the online conversation.
The bill, which received 70 votes in favor and 29 against, will now go to the Republican-led House, where it still faces significant obstacles.
"House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border," U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on Twitter.
The Republican holdup on supporting new aid packages is "close to criminal neglect," U.S. President Joe Biden said as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the White House.
Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives arrived in Ukraine on Feb. 9 to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and assure Kyiv of continued support for the country as further military aid remains tied up in Congress.
Pentagon spokesperson General Pat Ryder hinted on Feb. 9 that air defense missiles and other capabilities are still flowing to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
"We came here, obviously, to show unity, to show our commitment and hoping that the Americans would hear us," said Icelandic lawmaker Dilja Mist Einarsdottir. "We are leaving America a little bit sad," she added.
The U.S. Senate voted to proceed with a stripped-down foreign aid package that includes funds for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan without reforms to border policy, potentially paving the way for passage after Republicans blocked a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill.
"The success of Ukraine's efforts to build its (defense industrial base) depends on Ukraine's ability to liberate strategically vital areas occupied by Russian forces," according to the ISW.
Striking Russian pressure points deep behind enemy lines has become a near-daily task for Ukraine — and the country’s long-range arsenal continues to grow to serve the purpose. Ukraine’s latest acquisition, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb, is due for its combat debut any day now. The GLSDB is the
"The Administration strongly encourages both chambers of the Congress to reject this political ploy and instead quickly send the bipartisan Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act to the President's desk," the U.S. Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said on Feb. 5 that the recently unveiled bipartisan deal on Ukraine aid and border security is "worse than expected."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump "is an experienced person. He has fallen many times and gotten back up again. And this is a very serious trait," said Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence.
"Today we will meet government leaders, veterans, and civil society to underscore our shared commitment to defeating Russian aggression in Ukraine," U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink wrote on the social media platform X.
Former President Donald Trump's commanding primary victories have brought the race to the brink of a rematch with President Joe Biden, and caused concern that aid for Ukraine is not a priority for Republicans.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the U.S. on Dec. 11-12 to convince members of Congress to approve further assistance to Kyiv left the president largely empty-handed as Western aid on both sides of the Atlantic is at risk of drying up. Republicans in the Senate blocked a bill on
The Republican party has increasingly soured on continuing to support Ukraine, often citing economic reasons. However, what ultimately doomed the Dec. 6 vote was the mixing of U.S. aid to Ukraine with other political issues, namely domestic border security and the U.S. aid for longtime ally Israel.
Amid signs of a growing reluctance among U.S. Republicans to continue aid for Ukraine, proponents have been trying a new narrative – highlighting that a considerable amount of the money the U.S. spends actually goes toward the domestic defense industry, funneling jobs and investments back to the U.S.
Representative Mike Johnson, elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 25, has been deemed bad news for Ukraine. Johnson regularly voted against aid for Ukraine and was backed by the Ukraine-skeptic hard-right in his bid for speakership after the weeks-long scramble to replace the ousted Representative
In a prime-time address from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was going to send Congress an "urgent" funding request for aid to Ukraine and Israel on Oct. 20. The administration will attempt to push for $105 billion in assistance to Ukraine and Israel, as the
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was published by Atlantic Council. It is republished here with permission. In a recent article on the current geopolitical crisis in Eastern Europe, Estonian MP and security expert Eerik-Niiles Kross made the perceptive and provocative statement, “We know what the Russians want, but we are
