Long-awaited legislation to help Ukraine continue its fight against Russian is set to go before U.S. lawmakers, with its priorities including Washington providing ballistic missiles and a long-term strategy support to Kyiv.
Opposition from some House Republicans has meant that the Biden administration has not sent a package of aid to Kyiv since December, and over the last four months, Russia has capitalized on dwindling Ukrainian ammunition and materiel in the 2-year-old war.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed bringing a vote on four separate bills that would address aid for Ukraine on Saturday, with the other packages addressing support for Israel, the Indo-Pacific and other national security priorities.
Michael Chernomorets, co-founder of the non-profit Rescue Now, which helps Ukrainians in the front-line and de-occupied territories, is among Kyiv's advocates calling for further aid from Washington to be passed as soon as possible.
"Delays lead to more Russian shelling, and as a result, people are dying faster than they can receive promised assistance," he told Newsweek. "We know that truth is on the side of civilized democratic world, not on the side of dictators, and we believe the House stays on these values firmly."
What's in the bill?
The 49-page Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024, released Wednesday on the House of Representatives' website, is for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024.
More than one-third of the $60.84 billion spending outlined includes $23.2 billion dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition systems for the U.S. military.
Legislation for further military assistance for Ukraine has faced opposition from some Republicans who said a foreign aid bill must be tied to security at the U.S.-Mexico border. In February, the Senate passed a bill that provided $95 billion of wartime aid to Ukraine, Israel and other allies.
This week's bill included $13.8 billion for the purchase of weapons from the U.S.— roughly the same as the Senate legislation—the main difference is that the House bill provides more than $9 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine in the form of loans.
Structuring aid as a loan is a policy proposal by former President Donald Trump and is supported by some Republicans. Other caveats in the bill to placate GOP hardliners include oversight measures to ensure that the funds are spent correctly.
Elsewhere in the latest bill is $11.3 billion listed for current U.S. military operations in the region. While President Joe Biden has pledged not to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, the U.S. has been training Ukrainian troops elsewhere and maintains a presence across Europe.
The legislation also says that within 45 days of enactment, federal agencies have to provide a "multi-year" U.S. strategy for continued support for Ukraine against Russia. This must "establish specific and achievable objectives" as well as "define and prioritize United States national security interests."
The legislation included the transfer of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), the long-range system first used by Ukraine against Russia in October 2023. Kyiv has long called for increased long-range capabilities to fight Moscow's aggression.
However, it came with the proviso that if the U.S. president decided that such a supply was ever "detrimental to the national security interests" of the U.S., the transfer may be withheld.
The legislation faces a tough test before the House, whose lawmakers will jostle to make amendments before it goes to a vote. It has the endorsement of Ukrainian advocates such as U.S.-based group Razom, which said it would also keenly await the text of separate legislation such as a REPO (Rebuilding Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians) Act "and a potential new Lend-Lease authority for Ukraine."
As long as that legislation does not "undermine the ability of the United States to quickly provide assistance to Ukraine in support of its victory, that bill will receive our support as well," Razom's director of advocacy, Mykola Murskyj, said in a statement to Newsweek.
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About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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