Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House of Representatives. TOM BRENNER / AFP
Mike Johnson thus opposes the request of American President Joe Biden, who wants Congress to validate global aid of 105 billion dollars intended in particular for Ukraine and Israel.
A strong first decision. Freshly elected after weeks of chaos, the new Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson gave an interview to Fox News on Sunday, in which he outlined his plans for the lower house of the US Congress. As the Israeli army launched the second phase of its offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the deadly Hamas raids on October 7, the “speaker» insisted on dissociating the aid provided to the Jewish State from that granted to Ukraine.
«We will introduce a separate Israel aid bill in the House this week, and I know our Republican colleagues in the Senate are preparing a similar measure“, Mike Johnson told the television station. The president of the lower house thus directly opposes the proposal of American President Joe Biden, who asked Congress to vote for global aid of 105 billion dollars for Israel, Ukraine and other national security needs.
Aid to Ukraine under threat?
In detail of these 105 billion dollars, 61.4 billion must go to Ukraine and 14.3 billion to Israel. “There’s a lot going on in the world that we need to solve, and we will“, assured the “speaker». «But right now, what is happening in Israel needs our immediate attention“, he justified. In summary, Mike Johnson wants to prioritize Israel’s current war against Hamas terrorists. Without, however, neglecting Ukraine: “We need to separate these two aspects, but bring them across» both, he said.
Read alsoIn the United States, first doubts about aid to Ukraine
These statements, coming from a loyal Trumpist, are nevertheless worrying for kyiv. The former president’s supporters are mostly hostile to continued U.S. funding to Ukraine. Before being elected president, Mike Johnson voted last month with 93 other Republicans in favor of cutting aid to the country, still at war with Russia. His predecessor Kevin McCarthy also removed aid to Ukraine from a funding bill at the end of September, under pressure from hard-line conservatives, who threatened to oust him.
Another statement from Mike Johnson, made on Fox News the day after his swearing in, nevertheless gives hope to the Ukrainians. “We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to impose himself in Ukraine, because I do not believe he will stop there“, he estimated. “We’re not going to abandon them“, he certified, judging that “this would encourage China to do the same to Taiwan».
2023-10-30 11:57:38
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