The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved a bill clearing the way for billions of dollars in .
The $61 billion (€57 billion) package includes economic assistance and weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was grateful to the United States House of Representatives for the decision “that keeps history on the right track.”
The bill is part of a foreign aid and arms package valued at $95 billion (€89 billion) that also includes aid for and .
The package will then head to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where passage in the coming days is all but assured. US President Joe Biden has promised to sign off on it immediately.
Why has the aid package stalled?
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced an uphill battle from hardline Republicans over the bill, with continued financing of Ukraine’s defensive effort against Russia’s invasion hanging in the balance for months. Republicans hold a thin majority in the House.
The foreign aid legislation is similar to a measure passed by the Senate in February, but it contains some differences designed to win over House conservatives.
Republicans opposed to the bill have demanded that stronger controls first be put in place to curb the arrival of migrants at the southern US border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has meanwhile been making desperate attempts to try and shore up support among allies
The package includes around $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, a much-needed shot in the arm for Kyiv.
Where will the rest of the funding go?
Around $14 billion has been allocated for Israel as it continues its fight against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, while around $9 billion would be for providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank.
The bill also covers reimbursement for US military operations in the region in response to recent attacks.
The rest of the funds are set aside for with some $3.3 billion allocated toward the development of submarine infrastructure.
The US House of Representatives also passed a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban in the United States, where it has about 170 million users.
kb,dh/nm,lo (AFP, AP)
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