Previously, Johnson had largely opposed additional aid to Ukraine.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson has radically changed his position on helping Ukraine counter Russian aggression and considers it a “critical priority” for the House of Representatives.
Now aid for Ukraine will depend on Johnson's ability to insist on the allocation of tens of billions of dollars for the Ukrainians, writes the Wall Street Journal .
“We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to march through Europe, and we understand the need for help,” the WSJ quotes Johnson as saying.
The additional funding for Ukraine was part of complex negotiations among US politicians and at the same time a test of Johnson's ability to lead, as it was the Republican Party's wrangling over spending cuts and US strategy that played a key role in the resignation of previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The publication reports that voting on aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan could take place as early as next week.
Even if the Senate negotiations succeed, the share of the foreign aid proposal, which includes about $60 billion to fund the war in Ukraine and a resupply of US weapons, depends on Johnson in the House of Representatives, where the deeply divided Republican majority is trying to push through party bills about expenses,” the newspaper writes, adding that individual members of the House could propose a resolution to remove Speaker Johnson from office, as happened with McCarthy, “if they decide that he is overstepping the line.”
Sources close to Johnson said that he is really very worried about Ukraine and note that his position coincides with his current statements.
“He continues to demand accountability for the billions sent to help Ukraine, pointing out the administration's repeated failure to lay out a clear plan for victory or predict the endgame. But national security begins at home. That's why he has made it clear that requests for more aid to Ukraine can only be met if when the administration and Senate get serious about fixing our broken southern border,” one official said.
A number of senators said that Johnson would put a large aid package for Ukraine to a vote, even if it would cause a negative reaction from right-wing party members.
In addition, one of the senators said that Johnson received greater access to intelligence data after becoming speaker, which could influence his position.
Let us recall that it was previously reported that the United States considers it a victory that Ukraine survived the war with the Russian Federation .
In addition, we previously reported that the White House said that Russian dictator Putin is literally throwing human flesh around to try to hold onto territory .
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