Yesterday at 19:55
On April 23, the US Senate passed H.R. 815, a bill providing aid to the US allies, Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as responding to some essential security challenges.
The final vote showed that 79 Senators voted for the bill, while other 18 lawmakers voted against.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer proclaimed the foreign aid bill Senate’s ‘greatest achievement in years’.
“A few months ago Putin made a bet that American aid will sooner or later come to an end. We are showing Putin that betting against America is always, always a grave mistake,” Chuck Schumer commented on the Ukraine assistance.
“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” President Biden stated as soon as the bill was approved.
Some senators such as Republicans Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders tried to disrupt the cloture procedure to stall the vote in the Senate. Despite that, the Senate proceeded with the expedited procedure.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quick to respond to the bill approval by the Senate.
“I am grateful to the United States Senate for approving vital aid to Ukraine today. I thank Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for their strong leadership in advancing this bipartisan legislation, as well as all US Senators on both sides of the aisle who voted in favor of it,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The US DoD had started assembling a $1 billion military aid package before the Senate approved the foreign aid legislation on April 23.
Ukraine is most likely to receive long-range ATACMS within this aid package, CNN previously reported.
