President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed the leader of the US Congress’ lower house on Thursday to approve some $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, passed by the Senate more than a month ago.
“In this situation, quick passage of US aid to Ukraine by Congress is vital,” Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter). “We recognize that there are differing views in the House of Representatives on how to proceed, but the key is to keep the issue of aid to Ukraine as a unifying factor.”
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Zelensky said he had a phone conversation with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and also emphasized “the importance of cutting off Russia’s sources of funding for its war as soon as possible and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefit.”
I spoke with @SpeakerJohnson and thanked him personally, both parties, the American people, and President Biden for their critical support of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 28, 2024
I briefed Speaker Johnson on the battlefield situation, specifically the…
Zelensky also mentioned that 190 various types of Russian missiles and drones have targeted civilian areas in Ukraine between March 18 and March 24. They struck mostly critical infrastructure, and debris from intercepted projectiles caused damages, deaths and casualties within residential areas.
Johnson, a Republican, and a cohort of other party members in the House loyal to presidential candidate Donald Trump have refused to put the bill on the floor for a vote.
The Atlantic Council projects four ways in which US President Joe Biden’s Ukraine-aid proposal could pass the House: Johnson could “bring forth the Senate-passed supplemental to a vote on the House floor, as is typically done with legislation; a potential new supplemental package crafted by Republicans at Johnson’s behest; a Democrat-led bipartisan discharge petition to bring the Senate-passed supplemental to a vote; or a Republican-led discharge petition to bring slimmed-down supplemental aid to a vote.”
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One-hundred and ninety House representatives already have signed a discharge petition on March 22, Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-CA) announced, “In an effort to finally get the House to take action toward providing aid for Ukraine, where soldiers are literally rationing bullets as they fight against Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of their country.”
Still, the petition requires 218 signatures to progress.
Johnson has sat on the bill for over a month and his office didn’t immediately respond to a Kyiv Post request for comment on March 28.
Instead, Ukraine has grown more reliant on materiel from European Union countries. It already benefits from a Czech-led coalition of 16 countries for more artillery shells as Russia gains momentum in the war.
Meetings at the House of Representatives have been adjourned, but they are scheduled to reconvene on March 29.
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