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Biden tells Zelensky he will sign aid bill as soon as Senate approves

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Biden tells Zelensky he will sign aid bill as soon as Senate approves
Illustrative image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 12, 2023. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden held a call on April 22, in which Biden said he plans to sign the aid bill "as soon as it is approved by the Senate," Zelensky announced on social media.

The call follows the April 20 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, when a key foreign aid package for U.S. allies was passed, providing over $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine.

Zelensky thanked the U.S. president for his "unwavering support for Ukraine and true global leadership."

Zelensky said that Biden assured him "that the package will be approved quickly and that it will be powerful, strengthening our air defense as well as long-range and artillery capabilities."

U.S. Senator Mark Warner said on April 21 that shipments that include long-range missile systems could be ready to be delivered within days.  

The U.S. could begin transferring long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine "by the end of the week," pending White House approval, Warner said.

"The House’s other decision to allow the confiscation of frozen Russian assets also sends a strong signal to all of our partners," Zelensky added.

Zelensky and Biden also discussed the ongoing Russian strikes against civilians in Ukraine, including the afternoon attack on the Kharkiv TV tower.

"Russia clearly signals its intention to make the city uninhabitable," Zelensky said.

How Johnson came to allow a vote on Ukraine aid after months of delays
After more than six months of hedging, backtracking, and unfulfilled promises, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson finally allowed a vote on aid for Ukraine, which was passed on April 20. President Joe Biden made a request to Congress in October 2023 for $61 billion in aid for Ukraine. Following
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