US Senate Delays Approval of $61 Billion Aid Package for Ukraine until Next Year

The leaders of the US Senate announced on Tuesday that approval of the $61 billion aid package allocated to Ukraine will not occur before the end of this year. This statement represents another disappointment for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington last week with the intention of convincing congressional leaders to approve this aid package.

Published on: 12/20/2023 – 09:19

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The leaders of the US Senate revealed on Tuesday that the allocated aid package had been approved For Ukraine The value of $61 billion will not happen this year, expressing their hope that this step will be achieved early next year, despite the White House’s insistence on lawmakers to quickly approve it.

Republican and Democratic negotiators in the Senate did not reach an agreement, despite repeated pressure from President Joe Biden and repeated demands from Kiev.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement, “Negotiators are still working on a few issues, and we hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to move quickly on (approving this package) early next year.”

Disappointment for Zelensky

This statement represents another disappointment for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington last week with the intention of convincing congressional leaders to approve this aid package.

The statement by the Senate leaders comes a day after the White House warned that the remaining US funding authorized to support Ukraine this year is enough for one additional package before Congress must approve new aid to Kiev.

So far, Washington has provided more than $43 billion in military support to its ally, Kiev, since Russia began invading Ukrainian territory in February 2022.

But Republican Party hardliners in Congress denounce the Democratic administration’s prioritization of helping Ukraine at the expense of addressing internal problems such as border security, and they are subsequently obstructing the approval of this additional funding for Kiev.

The Senate’s failure to quickly approve the aid package, as Biden wants, represents a setback for the Democratic president, who has made supporting Ukraine and strengthening NATO essential to his foreign policy.

France 24 / AFP

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2023-12-20 08:19:00