Congress clears US$61 bln Ukraine aid package

WASHINGTON: The US Congress gave final approval to a US$61 billion aid package for Ukraine late Tuesday, with President Joe Biden quickly vowing to sign the long-delayed bill and begin delivering fresh supplies this week to the war zone as Russia makes battlefield gains.

Days after the Republican-led House of Representatives cleared the aid — part of a larger US$95 billion package of assistance to allies including Israel and Taiwan — the Democratic-controlled Senate followed suit, passing it with bipartisan support on a 7918 vote.

“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” Biden said in a statement shortly after the vote.

Passage of the bill, which also provides much-needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, Sudan and Haiti, comes after months of acrimonious debate among lawmakers over how or even whether to help Ukraine defend itself.

A similar aid package passed the Senate in February, but had been stalled in the House while Republican Speaker Mike Johnson — heeding calls from ex-president Donald Trump and his hardline allies — demanded concessions from Biden on immigration policies, before a sudden recent reversal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington in December to plead for fresh aid, quickly thanked US lawmakers for passing the bill, saying on social media that he looks “forward to the bill being signed soon and the next military aid package matching the resoluteness that I always see in our negotiations.”

“Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defence are critical tools for restoring just peace sooner.”

Biden said the bill’s approval showed America stands “resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression,” while the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said it sends a message that the United States “will not turn our back on you”.

The Ukraine measure also allows Biden to confiscate and sell Russian assets and provide the money to Kyiv to finance reconstruction, a move that has been embraced by other G7 nations.

The United States has been the chief military backer of Ukraine in its war against Russia, but Congress had not approved large-scale funding for its ally for nearly a year and a half.

The financing of the war has become a point of contention ahead of a presidential election in November that is expected to pit Biden against Trump once again.

In addition to money for Ukraine, the package earmarks US$13 billion for Israel, which is locked in a war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz thanked the US Senate for approving the military aid, saying on social media site X that it was “a clear testament to the strength of our alliance and sends a strong message to all our enemies.”

The US approval comes as the war in Gaza enters its 201st day.

The US aid package also allocates more than US$9 billion for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and elsewhere, and US$8 billion in military support for Taiwan as it faces down China.

Bill’s approval showed America stands “resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.

Joe Biden