Johnson will not put financial aid to Ukraine to vote
5 December 10:59
House Speaker Mike Johnson will not put the $24 billion for Ukraine to a vote in the US Congress. Instead, he will wait for the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. He said this to the Voice of America, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
In late November, it became known that the current President of the United States , Joe Biden, called on Congress to allocate an additional $24 billion to strengthen Ukraine in the war against Russia.
“It is no longer Joe Biden’s job to make this decision. We have a newly elected president, and we’re going to wait and take the new commander-in-chief’s strategy on all of this,” Johnson said.
The speaker added: “So, I don’t expect any funding for Ukraine to be put forward right now.”
According to Johnson, the election of Donald Trump as president is already “changing the dynamics of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Congressman Pete Aguilar, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, commented on the statement:
“Speaker Johnson, clearly, wants to wait for the new administration. He wants to follow the orders of the new administration when it comes to funding Ukraine.”
Aguilar emphasized that Democrats plan to continue “supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”
Previous aid packages
The last major aid package for Ukraine was approved by Congress in April, almost nine months after Biden’s first request last August. Back then, $61 billion was allocated as part of a total package of $95 billion.
However, this aid has become a source of political controversy in the lower house of Congress. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia even initiated the resignation of Speaker Mike Johnson, accusing him of being a cave-in. However, Democrats supported Johnson, allowing him to remain in office.
That package also included about $10 billion in economic loans for Ukraine.
