US senate to vote on Ukraine aid package amid bipartisan support

The US Senate is poised to vote on a substantial aid package for Ukraine Tuesday, following broad bipartisan approval in the House of Representatives after months of negotiations.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed Saturday that an agreement had been reached for a vote on Tuesday, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell echoed Schumer’s sentiment, saying “The task before us is urgent. It is once again the Senate’s turn to make history.”

The aid package, totaling $95 billion in military assistance to US allies, including allocations for Israel and Taiwan alongside the $61 billion designated for Ukraine, is expected to reach President Joe Biden’s desk for approval by the end of the week.

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Unlike the challenges faced in the House, the Senate vote is anticipated to proceed more smoothly, devoid of the complex negotiations and disputes that characterized the process in the Republican-controlled chamber.

President Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the swift arrival of assistance during a phone call on Monday, underscoring the critical support as Ukraine continues its ongoing battle against Russia’s invasion amid shortages of weapons and recruits.

And circumstances are expected to worsen on the frontlines in the coming weeks, with Ukrainian intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov predicting a “rather difficult situation” beginning mid-May.

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Zelensky, after his conversation with Biden, said he is counting on the speedy delivery of a “powerful” aid shipment to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense as well as “long-range and artillery capabilities.”

The debate over Ukraine aid has highlighted wide divisions between Democrats and Republicans in Congress – but it has also revealed deep fissures within the conservative movement ahead of November’s presidential match-up between Biden and Donald Trump.

Many lawmakers waved Ukrainian flags in the US House chamber after the vote Saturday – but were met with boos from Trump-allied Republicans.

Biden and the Democrats like to frame Ukraine aid as an investment in US security against Russian aggression.

But Republicans have been hesitant, wary of sending money overseas, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has spent much of his six-month tenure blocking a vote on economic and military aid for Ukraine.

He told reporters how he finally came around: “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall.”

In addition to money for Ukraine, Tuesday’s vote will also decide on $13 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, more than $9 billion for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and elsewhere and $8 billion in military support for Taiwan as it faces down China.

With inputs from AFP