In the end, 18 Republicans, 207 Democrats and one independent voted for the bill
The lower house of the United States parliament approved a bill that could provide $9 billion in support to Ukraine and impose sanctions on key sectors of Russia’s economy.
The House of Representatives approved on Thursday, with 226 votes in favor to 195 against, the proposal presented by Democrat Gregory Meeks, despite objections from Republican leaders who warned that it would harm peace negotiations.
The project would provide more than one billion dollars (861 million euros) in aid for the security and reconstruction of Ukraine and another eight billion dollars (6.9 billion euros) for the country’s defense, through loans.
The vote is a sign of impatience with the US President’s approach to war and represents the House’s second major divergence with Donald Trump on foreign policy this week.
On Wednesday, the lower house of Congress approved, for the first time, a war powers resolution aimed at preventing US military action against Iran.
“We all want this war to end,” Meeks said.
“The question is how. Are we going to abandon Ukraine and force it into a terrible deal? This is what [o Presidente russo] Vladimir Putin tells. Or will this House fulfill the commitments we have made since the beginning of this war?” asked the Democrat.
The vast majority of Republicans opposed the measure.
French Hill, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, warned that the proposal provides less funding for security assistance to Ukraine compared to what Congress had agreed to as part of this year’s defense policy.
Another section could lead to a decrease in defense spending by some NATO members, he added.
In the end, 18 Republicans, 207 Democrats and one independent voted for the bill. Democrat Ilhan Omar joined 194 Republicans and voted against.
Supporters hope that the House’s approval of the Ukraine bill will pressure the Senate (upper house) to do the same. But they also know that the Senate probably won’t agree unless Trump signs the bill.
The war that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring country has been going on for more than four years, with no end in sight. In recent days, both sides have sought advantage by launching long-range missile strikes.
US-led peace efforts lost momentum as the situation in Ukraine worsened.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by Trump, but Putin refused.
Discussion in the Senate regarding Ukraine revolved around a bill that would impose sweeping tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that buy oil, gas, uranium and other exports to Russia that are crucial to financing the Russian military. But the bill is stalled.
