House could vote on Ukraine aid this week, speaker says

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — Fresh US aid for Ukraine will be put to a vote separately to the question of new military assistance for Israel, House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Johnson has stalled a House vote on a $96bn package aimed at helping both US allies, while he faces pressure from fellow members of his Republican Party.

But he said an Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend had increased the urgency to sign off new foreign aid.

Johnson said the separate aid bills could be put to a vote this week.

Ukraine has grown impatient as its ammunition supplies dwindle, with Russia making steady territorial gains after its full-scale invasion entered a third year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for his allies to show the same unity they have shown Israel, highlighting “the intensity of Russian attacks”.

But right-wing Republicans — whose party narrowly control the House — have increasingly questioned American support for Kyiv due to its expense. Among them are Donald Trump, the party’s likely 2024 presidential candidate.

Johnson had previously attempted to make Republican support for foreign aid conditional on President Joe Biden tightening US border security — a move that ultimately failed.

The Speaker has also been resisting a threat to oust him by Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who opposes what she sees as compromises made with rival Democrats.

Following months of political deadlock over the aid, Johnson pledged American support following events in the Middle East over the weekend that concerned another US ally, Israel.

Israel came under attack from a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones, following an earlier strike on an Iranian consulate building in Syria for which Israel is widely believed to have been responsible.

“There are precipitating events around the globe that we’re all watching very carefully and we know that the world is watching us to see how we react,” Johnson said on Monday.

He went on to launch a verbal attack on “terrorists and tyrants and terrible leaders around the world”, which he said included the leaders of Russia and Iran.

Johnson went on to explain that the $96bn (£77bn) package of mixed aid — which had already been approved in the upper chamber — would not be put to a vote in its “current form”. Instead, he said, “we will vote on each of these measures separately in four different pieces”.

It is thought these votes could happen by Friday evening. The aid — whether presented in separate bills or bundled back into one —would then have to be put to the Senate again.

The White House has opposed any “standalone” measure that supports Israel solely.

Writing on X, Johnson explained that the newly-separated bills were intended to support not only Ukraine and Israel, but also “strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific (and) pass additional measures to counter our adversaries and strengthen our national security.” The package passed by the Senate also included assistance for Taiwan.

Johnson has previously expressed support for legislation that would structure new Ukraine support in the form of loans — suggesting costs could be covered by authorizing the US government to seize and sell Russian assets frozen since the start of the Ukraine war.

This component could also be voted on this week as part of the proposed package of measures. — BBC