The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Johnson plans separate House votes on Israel, Ukraine aid

by Olena Goncharova April 16, 2024 2:32 AM  (Updated: ) 2 min read
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Dec. 1, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to hold separate votes this week on new assistance packages for Israel and Ukraine, aiming to assemble fragile coalitions to support both embattled allies.

This move seeks to overcome Republican resistance to aid Kyiv and address the recent missile and drone attack by Iran on Israel. By capitalizing on the sense of urgency among many U.S. lawmakers to stand with Israel following the attack, Speaker Johnson aims to gauge the resolve of ultraconservative factions in blocking aid to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.  

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has threatened to trigger a vote to remove the speaker if any assistance to Ukraine is considered in the House.

On April 15, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing that "we will not accept a standalone" Israel aid bill. "A standalone would actually not help Israel and Ukraine. It would actually delay ... the needed aid," Jean-Pierre noted, calling for the House to pass the Senate's $95 billion Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan aid bill.

The United States' delay in providing assistance to Ukraine has directly affected the battlefield, leading to the loss of the crucial front-line city of Avdiivka. With the situation escalating on the eastern front and Russian assaults intensifying on energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the failure of the U.S. Congress to approve military aid could result in Ukraine losing the war.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that U.S. President Joe Biden and congressional leaders reached a "consensus" on April 14 regarding the urgent need for Congress to swiftly provide aid to Israel and Ukraine. Schumer expressed his optimism that actions would be taken this week to assist both nations, as he mentioned during a press conference in New York.

Zelensky: Allies can defend Ukraine in the same way as they protected Israel
“By defending Israel, the free world demonstrated that unity (among allies) is not only possible but 100% effective,” Zelensky said after a meeting with top military and security officials . “The allies’ decisive actions prevented the success of terrorism and loss of infrastructure and forced the ag…

News Feed

5:15 PM

Alexander Vindman: Trump repeats past US mistakes with Russia.

Alexander Vindman served as the director of European affairs for the United States National Security Council in 2018-2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration. The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Vindman to discuss how Washington has historically misjudged Russia, "succumbing to hopes and fears," and why there is no real prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia now.
12:24 PM

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF.

The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.