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Ukraine Russia War: US House Passes Aid Deal Worth $61Bn

With the ongoing Ukraine Russia war, the US House passes aid deal worth $61Bn to support Ukraine.

The House of Representatives has finally approved billions of dollars in new US military aid to Ukraine to confront Russia’s incursion.

The much-delayed plan faced vociferous opposition in Congress, and passing the $61 billion (£49 billion) package required a fragile bipartisan agreement.

Republicans said that more than a third would go into replacing weapons and ammo.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the US assistance as “vital.”

The aid would prevent the war from spreading and save thousands of lives, he said.

It is unknown when the relief will arrive. The package will now be sent to the Senate, where it is likely to pass within the next few days before President Joe Biden signs it into law.

Along with replacing weaponry and ammunition systems, Ukraine will receive more than $9 billion (£7.28 billion) in economic support in the form of “forgivable loans” that do not need to be repaid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, tens of thousands of people, primarily soldiers, have been killed or injured on both sides, forcing millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes.

Ukraine, which relies on Western weapons, urgently requires the assistance as it struggles to contain invading Russian troops, who have made steady advances in recent weeks.
It has resulted in Ukrainian soldiers running out of ammunition and having to ration artillery shells along a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line.

Last weekend, Ukraine’s military chief warned that the battlefield situation in the country’s east had “significantly worsened” as Russia ramped up its armoured attacks.

Cheers and applause erupted in the House as the measure passed 311 to 112, with some Representatives waving Ukrainian flags.

Welcoming the outcome, Mr. Biden praised the bipartisan effort to “answer history’s call” and urged the Senate to act quickly “so that I can sign it into law, and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs”.

The foreign aid package approved on Saturday includes:

$26.4 billion (£21.34 billion) in military support for Israel, with $9.1 billion (£7.36 billion) set aside for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
$8.1 billion (£6.55 billion) in funding for Asian-Pacific allies, including Taiwan, to “counter communist China”.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the significant increase in aid would supplement the tens of billions of euros provided to Ukraine by European allies.