The House of Representatives has finally approved $61 billion in new US military aid for Ukraine to help combat Russia’s invasion.
The much-delayed measure had vocal opponents in Congress and it took a fragile bipartisan deal to get the package through.
Republicans said more than a third would be dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the US support as “vital”.
The aid is likely to include air defense systems, mid to long-range missiles and artillery shells.
It is unclear when it will arrive. The package will now go to the Senate, which is expected to pass it within the next few days before President Joe Biden signs it into law.
Ukraine, which relies on Western weapons, desperately needs the aid as it struggles to contain invading Russian troops, who have been making steady advances in recent weeks.
President Zelensky said the aid should come as quickly as possible. In an evening address on April 21, he said that if Ukraine were given the right weapons it could change the situation on the frontline.
Alongside replenishing weapons and ammunition systems, Ukraine will also receive more than $9 billion of economic assistance in the form of “forgivable loans” – ones that do not need to be paid back.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then tens of thousands of people, mainly soldiers, have been killed or injured on both sides, and millions of Ukrainians have had to flee their homes.
Ukrainian soldiers are now running low on munitions and having to ration artillery shells on a front line more than 745 miles long.
Cheers and applause erupted in the House when the measure passed, by 311 votes to 112, with some Representatives waving Ukrainian flags.
Welcoming the result, President Biden praised the bipartisan effort to “answer history’s call” and urging the Senate to approve it quickly “so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs”.
The foreign aid package passed on April 20 also includes:
- $26.4 billion in military support for Israel, with $9.1 billion of that allocated to humanitarian aid for Gaza.
- $8.1 billion in funding for allies in the Asia-Pacific, including Taiwan, to “counter communist China”.
