President Joe Biden promised to sign the package into law as soon as it reaches his desk on Wednesday.
The US Senate has approved an aid package worth tens of billions for Ukraine.
At the same time, the Senate approved aid packages for Taiwan and Israel, among others, and changes regarding the Tiktok service. The aid packages and the decisions restricting Tiktok were bundled into one package, which the Senate approved by votes of 79-18.
President Joe Biden announced after the vote that arms aid would be sent to Ukraine already this week. He promised to sign the package into law as soon as it reaches his desk on Wednesday.
– Congress has passed my legislation so that we can strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the strength of American leadership: we resolutely defend democracy and freedom and oppose tyranny and oppression, Biden said In the White House press release.
– This vital package of legislation will improve the security of our nation and the world as we support our friends who defend themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like [Venäjän presidenttiä Vladimir] Putin against.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the other hand, thanked the United States for the support decision right from the start in the X message service.
– The voting result strengthens the role of the United States as the leading star of democracy and the leader of the free world.
In his message, Zelenskyi also thanked the Americans who support Ukraine and said that long-range strike capabilities, artillery and air defense are vital to achieving peace quickly.
The result of a long twist
The amount of support given to Ukraine is over 60 billion dollars. The package also includes humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan and Haiti.
US support for its allies was stalled for months in the House of Representatives due to opposition, particularly from some representatives of the right wing of the Republican Party. One draft of the legal package had previously already received the Senate’s approval, but it was later sent to the disputed House of Representatives.
House of Representatives added of The New York Times included in the package of laws he approved last weekend, among other things, a mention that the president must apply for ten billion dollars repayment from Ukraine for the support given to Kyiv.
The addition is seen as a concession to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. However, the president was offered the option to forgive these loans starting in 2026.