US Senate finally approves over $60 billion in aid to Ukraine
The upper chamber of the US Congress – the Senate – finally passed the law on aid to Ukraine worth over $60 billion, according to a broadcast of the Senate meeting. The document is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden in the near future.
In the final vote, 79 senators voted in favor, while 18 voted against.
The Senate-passed package combines four bills totaling $95 billion that the House of Representatives voted on separately. It includes almost $61 billion for Ukraine, more than $26 billion for Israel and more than $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.
Biden welcomed the Senate's decision and promised to sign the legislation as soon as it reaches his desk on April 23 so that the shipment of weapons and equipment to Ukraine could begin this week.
The Senate believes that the United States may send aid to Ukraine, including ATACMS missiles, by the end of next week.
Background
In April, after the Easter recess in the USA, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson presented four separate bills on US aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and national security priorities in a closed session. In the Senate, they were combined into one package.
The White House noted that "at first glance" Johnson's proposal regarding individual bills meets the requests of the Biden administration.
This proposal includes about $61 billion and ATACMS ballistic missiles for Ukraine. Of this amount, about $27.1 billion will go to the actual purchase of weapons, $23 billion to replenish the reserves of the US army, and another $9.4 billion to non-military aid.
Johnson proposed the bills after the House of Representatives blocked the Senate proposal.