Ukraine US House approves $61 billion in vital help for the Russia conflict

In order to assist Ukraine fight Russia's invasion, the House of Representatives has finally authorized billions of dollars in fresh US military aid.

Congress heard strong opposition to the much-delayed proposal, and only a tenuous bipartisan agreement allowed the $61 billion (£49 billion) package to pass.

Republicans claimed that more than one-third would go into restocking arms and ammo.

"Vital" was how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized US assistance.

It is probable that the assistance will include of artillery rounds, mid-to long-range missiles, and air defense systems.

When it will come is unknown. The next step is for the Senate to approve the deal, which should happen in the coming days before President Joe Biden signs it into law.

ANALYSIS: A aid package could assist Ukraine in halting Russian aggression.

Ukraine, which depends heavily on Western armaments, is in dire need of assistance as it fights to stave off Russian forces who have been advancing steadily into its territory in recent weeks.

According to Mr. Zelensky, assistance need to arrive as soon as feasible. During a Sunday evening speech, he said that the arming of Ukraine with appropriate weaponry may potentially alter the circumstances on the front lines.

"The defense of our towns and villages is just as important as frontline air defense. Our extended reach. Our weaponry. Our capacity to increase the sphere of influence," he said. "Every day is important now."

More than $9 billion (£7.28 billion) in "forgivable loans"—loans that don't need to be repaid—will be given to Ukraine in addition to restocking its armaments and ammunition.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to abandon their homes while tens of thousands of people—mostly soldiers—have been killed or wounded on both sides.

On a front that stretches more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), Ukrainian forces are now in need of rationing artillery ammunition due to a shortage of supplies.

The chief of Ukraine's armed forces issued a warning last weekend, stating that as Russia increased its armored attacks, the fighting conditions in the country's east had "significantly worsened."

As the proposal passed the House by a vote of 311 to 112, there were cheers and clapping, and several Representatives waved Ukrainian flags.

Mr. Biden welcomed the outcome, applauding the bipartisan effort to "answer history's call" and requesting that the Senate act swiftly to pass it "so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send arms and other supplies to Ukraine in order to fulfill their urgent battlefield needs".

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Passed on Saturday, the international assistance package also consists of:

$26.4 billion (£21.34 billion) in military assistance to Israel, of which $9.1 billion (£7.36 billion) is devoted to Gaza humanitarian relief

Funding for friends in the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, totaled $8.1 billion (£6.55 billion) in an effort to "counter communist China".

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The substantial increase in funding, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, would complement the tens of billions of euros that Ukraine is already receiving from its European partners.

EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel stated in a joint statement that "Ukraine deserves all the support it can get against Russia."

The deal would "make the United States of America richer, further ruin Ukraine, as well as result in the deaths of even more Ukrainians," according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of Ukraine's foreign affairs committee, called the vote a "historic decision" that he said would "definitely save lots of lives of our civilians and our soldiers" in an interview with BBC World Service's Newshour program.

"It gives us strength, it gives us courage but resolve to continue to fight, therefore I'm sure that the situation at the front will soon shift in our favour," he said.

Without US assistance, Mr. Zelensky and William Burns, the director of the CIA, have said that Ukraine would lose the war.

Moscow's territorial gains over the last six months and the difficulties other Western allies have had filling Washington's void have served as more evidence of that.

America's assistance is now bearing down on Ukraine once again.

While it gives Ukraine more time to fight and avoid the negotiation table, this is hardly the magic pill that will help it win the conflict.

BBC confirms 50,000 Russian troops are dead.

Ahead of the delayed US assistance decision, Ukraine issues a warning about World War Three.

Republicans have been delaying the House vote for months, citing concerns about transferring money abroad rather than addressing the US-Mexico border dispute.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican, said that he wanted to get the legislation through even if it meant risking his job.

It passed on Saturday with a sizable majority, but those figures hide the growing political differences on the matter.

Republicans supported the proposal by a margin of 112 to 101, while all 210 Democrats voted in favor of it.

That may indicate difficulties for Mr. Johnson. He is already facing calls from three House Republicans to resign as Speaker. Next week, they could even compel a vote on the issue.

US Speaker could incur political costs for the Ukraine agreement

Although the fresh help worth billions of dollars is anticipated to keep the Ukrainian war effort going for months, further US backing seems improbable if Republicans seize control of Congress or the White House.

A measure that would have required the TikTok social media platform's Chinese owner to sell its ownership or risk being banned in the US was also approved by the House.