US House speaker to put Ukraine aid bill to a vote – media — RT World News

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has promised to advance a long-stalled Ukraine aid bill sought by President Joe Biden, multiple media outlets reported Monday. The proposed legislation remained stuck in Congress for several months due to bitter fighting between Democrats and Republicans.

According to reports, Johnson told fellow Republicans in a closed meeting that he intends to allow the House of Representatives to vote on a standalone bill this week that would guarantee additional military aid to Kiev. The House of Representatives is also expected to vote on separate bills providing more aid to Israel and Taiwan.

“We know the world is watching us to see how we react.” Johnson told reporters after a meeting with GOP lawmakers, the New York Times reported. He added that the leaders of Russia, China and Iran are “We are watching to see whether America will stand up for its allies and our interests around the world — and we will.”

House Republicans previously refused to support the sweeping foreign aid bill Biden unveiled in October, which includes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.

The legislation has been stalled for months because the Republican Party was trying to force the White House to crack down on the flow of illegal immigrants across the border with Mexico. Republicans have been encouraged by Biden's election rival, former President Donald Trump, who opposed unrestricted aid to Ukraine.

The delay in approving more weapons for Ukraine has alarmed President Vladimir Zelensky and other officials in Kiev, who blame mounting battlefield losses on growing shortages of foreign-supplied ammunition and air defenses. “If Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war.” Zelensky warned last week.

Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly stated that no amount of foreign assistance will change the course of the conflict, and has accused the West of escalation.

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