US Congress moves closer to approving Ukraine aid bill — RT World News

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Saturday that a vote has been scheduled in the U.S. Senate on an emergency spending bill that includes new funding for Ukraine. The Senate of Congress is scheduled to begin considering the legislation on Tuesday, April 23, and a final decision is expected by the end of the week.

Schumer praised the US House of Representatives for approving the bill after months of delay. Many Republican lawmakers had previously refused to support the bill, linking their approval to demands for new money to protect the country's border with Mexico. The bill is final Passed By a vote of 311 to 112 on Saturday, with all Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor.

“[The House] Much-needed funding has finally been approved for Ukraine, for Israel, for the Indo-Pacific, and for humanitarian aid… Our allies around the world have been waiting for this moment, and I assure them the Senate is on track to pass the same. Invoice coming soon Schumer said in a statement.

The comprehensive $95 billion package includes nearly $61 billion in financial aid to Ukraine, including money to purchase weapons and military equipment. The rest is allocated to Israel and Taiwan, among other priorities.

After this measure is approved by both chambers of Congress, it will need to be signed into law by US President Joe Biden. Since last year, Biden has been asking lawmakers to approve the package and has blamed Ukraine's battlefield setbacks for their failure to do so. He pledged to sign the bill without delay.

“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,” he added. The president said this on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said it was “Thankful” To the House of Representatives to pass “vital” The aid bill, in his opinion, “You will prevent the war from expanding, [and] Saving thousands and thousands of lives.” Ukraine has been suffering from a growing shortage of ammunition and weapons since a previous support package provided by Washington ran out earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Russia has warned that Western aid and especially arms shipments to Ukraine will only worsen the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that the House of Representatives would vote “Further enriching the United States and further destroying Ukraine” While former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that this would inevitably prolong the fighting and “Increasing the number of victims of this war.”