US House passes bill to expand Ukraine aid, impose new Russia sanctions
According to reports, the bill had long been unable to pass through the House Rules Committee before the vote. A special petition was needed to unblock it, and independent Congressman Kevin Kiley cast the decisive vote.
Despite calls from Republican leaders not to support the document, 18 Republicans voted for it, giving the initiative bipartisan support. At the same time, Ilhan Omar was the only Democrat to oppose the bill alongside most Republicans.
According to CNN, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged fellow Republicans to vote against the document during a closed-door meeting. He argued that President Donald Trump should keep the door open to negotiations with Russia.
The explanatory note says the bill concerns the war between Ukraine and Russia, support for Ukraine and certain European states, as well as punitive measures against Russia and other foreign parties.
The document provides for:
The bill would extend the lend-lease program for Ukraine until 2028, provide Ukraine and NATO allies with up to 8 billion US dollars in direct military loans in 2026, and allocate 300 million US dollars to Ukraine under the USAI program for weapons procurement in 2026-2027.
After approval by the House of Representatives, the document must be considered by the Senate. However, its prospects there remain uncertain. The Republican Party controls the upper chamber of Congress, and supporters of the bill doubt it will secure the required 60 votes.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who supported the document, said:
"It probably won't get 60 votes in the Senate, but hopefully it will force the Senate to address this issue. This will send a powerful signal to Ukrainian soldiers."
According to the politician, the vote should also send a signal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that the United States does not remain indifferent to Ukraine's fate.
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, called the document historic.
She also stressed that the document gives Ukraine access to defense loans.
"It provides for the regular inclusion of a certain amount, at the level of 200 million US dollars, in the US defense budget, but this may change. This provision is important primarily not because of the size of specific sums, but because these issues are regulated at the legislative level," Stefanishyna said.
If the bill is submitted to the Senate and later approved, it will become the first major step by the US Congress to support Ukraine since the approval of an additional funding package in spring 2024 under President Joe Biden.
Background
As a reminder, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced 400 million US dollars in military aid to Ukraine that the US Congress had previously approved but is currently being delayed at the Pentagon level.
As Rubryka reported earlier, the US House of Representatives collected the required 218 signatures to consider a bill on new aid to Ukraine, bypassing Republican leadership. Congressman Kevin Kiley supported the initiative, which enabled the voting procedure to proceed.
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7 of June 2026
