On Saturday, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution to provide $61 billion in additional funding to Ukraine, ending a six-month political impasse during which Ukraine's military supplies were dwindling in the war with Russia.
Aid to Ukraine will be combined with funding from Israel and Taiwan, creating a foreign aid package totaling $95 billion.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson played a major role in bringing the bill to a vote, working with Democrats to overcome his own party's vehement opposition to funding for Ukraine.
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As a result, the House was able to pass this law with a bipartisan vote of 311 against 112.
Learn more about what stood in the way of Johnson’s decision to help Ukraine — read the review of the Western press on Facts ICTV.
Axios: The current Congress is a complete mess
Axios writes that on the issue of voting on aid to Ukraine and other US allies, House Speaker Mike Johnson did something that has rarely, if ever, been seen in this era MAGA (this is the name in America for the informal movement led by the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump, — Ed.)& ;#8221;.
— He challenged the most vocal and threatening figures in the Republican Party, dug deep into government intelligence — and changed its position on the most important foreign policy law in recent years, — writes the publication.
Axios points out that this is also important because Johnson not only changed his own position on the issue of funding and arming Ukraine, but also challenged the majority of his party to do this is . Plus, he risked his position as Speaker to pull this off.
— In an era of tribal politics and congressional dysfunction, the country has witnessed a rare triumph of consistent bipartisanship. If you like it when both parties work together to do difficult things, then this was just such a case, — writes the publication.
There is also opposition from radical Republicans in the House of Representatives, since some of them, being the most influential, since they occupy the positions of committee chairmen, voted against Johnson's decision on Ukraine.
— Republicans have a long history of never allowing a vote on anything that the majority of the Republican Party opposed. Therefore, pushing through this issue was all the more stunning, — writes the publication.
Some of Johnson's party members called him a “real Reagan Republican”.
— The Current Congress — it's a complete mess. Republicans spent as much time firing or threatening to fire their leader as they did legislating. But it was a break of historical significance. Ukraine will receive its weapons, Israel — financial assistance, and TikTok — retribution. And it could still cost Johnson his job, — summarizes the publication.
Bloomberg: Risky move for Johnson
Bloomberg indicates that in making the decision to help Ukraine, Johnson ignored the demands of ultra-conservative Republicans to attach only a Republican bill to the US border security law, which would have ruined his chances in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
He also relied on Democrats to overcome procedural obstacles to passing the legislation, breaking with decades of tradition and putting his Speakership at risk.
Three ultra-conservative legislators — Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massey and Paul Gosar — said they were ready to vote to remove Johnson from office.
— Nothing is being done to secure our border or reduce our debt. Ukraine is not even a member of NATO, — Green said Saturday.
Massie on Saturday expressed hope that growing Republican opposition would eventually force Johnson to resign.
— But if it comes to that, a vote will be called, — he said to depose Johnson.
To remove Johnson as speaker, Bloomberg notes, these rebels will need the cooperation of Democrats, many of whom have said they will defend Republican Johnson after he struck a foreign aid deal.< /p>
Photo: Getty Images
CNN: Speaker Johnson prayed before making decision on aid to Ukraine
CNN indicates the role of Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson in the issue of support for Ukraine in the lower house of the American Congress.
According to the publication, the day after Iran attacked Israel, Speaker Johnson spoke on the phone with a man who suddenly held the keys to his legislative program and, perhaps, to his own future. That man was House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
In a previously unreported phone call, Johnson said he was willing to make a decision on foreign aid even if it angered Republicans who don't support more aid to Ukraine and could cost him his job, CNN reported a source familiar with the conversation.
CNN reported, which cited its sources, Jeffreys pressed Johnson, asking how many Republicans he could get to support Ukraine aid, knowing , that the Democrats will have to attract the rest.
— But when Johnson returned to Washington on Monday to chart his path forward, he faced a barrage of attacks from many of his GOP colleagues — writes the publication.
As early as Tuesday, Johnson sat in his office as radical Republicans flocked to him to voice their complaints and demands about the division of aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. By evening he was deciding what to do next.
— He was torn between trying to keep his job and doing the right thing. He prayed over this matter, — House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a top Ukraine advocate who was with Johnson the night before the law was unveiled, told CNN.
As a result, on Wednesday Johnson firmly decided that he was on the right track, making the most important decision of his political career — on the allocation of billions of dollars in foreign aid. The decision culminated in a tense scene on the House floor as Republican members traded insults and the Speaker managed his warring factions.
In a message to his colleagues before the publication of the legislative text, Johnson acknowledged the “significant amount of feedback and discussion from members” Congress. And publicly Johnson — who assumed the position somewhat by accident after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in October — was even more straightforward.
— My philosophy — do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may. If I acted out of fear of a motion to dismiss, I would never be able to do my job. History judges us for what we do. Now is the critical moment… I may make a selfish decision and do things differently, but I do what I think is right. I believe that providing assistance to Ukraine is critically important now, — said the speaker.
CNN calls the fact that the Speaker of the House of Representatives finally decided to make a decision on assistance to Ukraine is a remarkable evolution of Johnson, who previously voted against such funding for Kyiv as an ordinary member.
In addition, Johnson was influenced by several figures from both American and Ukrainian politics. Among them are Republican and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and CIA Director Bill Burns, from whom the Speaker of the House of Representatives recently heard a briefing.
In the briefing, the head of the CIA, as CNN writes, painted Johnson a “difficult picture” on the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and the global consequences of inaction.
— The briefing made a lasting impression, and Johnson became increasingly convinced that the fate of Western democracy rested on his shoulders, — writes CNN with reference to sources close to the speaker.
Also, another factor, sources say, could be that Johnson's eldest son was recently accepted into the US Naval Academy .
Politico: US aid for Ukraine — this is “homework” for Europe
The marathon effort to pass the US bill, which still needs to be approved by the Senate, has in recent weeks pushed Europe to consider more military aid for war-torn Ukraine.
Politico notes that European leaders praised the US House of Representatives' passage of a $60.8 billion aid package for Ukraine on Saturday, but some warned that Europe urgently needs more support ahead of Russia's brutal offensive. , which are expected in the coming months.
The agency points out that some European leaders used the US vote to urge Europe not to become complacent or lose momentum as new support from Washington is expected to soon be sent to Ukraine.
— I hope this vote encourages all allies to look through their stockpiles and do more — stated Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kallas on social network X (formerly Twitter).
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström also called on Europeans “to remember that the EU must now increase its own production of arms, ammunition and supplies to help Ukraine on a long-term basis”.< /p>
— Today's vote shows that this is necessary. We also have to do our own homework, — Billstrom added .
His Czech colleague Jan Lipavsky echoed this sentiment, saying: “Europe must do more too. Our hesitation and indecisiveness in providing effective support to Ukraine only motivates the Kremlin for further aggression, which takes more lives”.
Politico notes that a crucial test for Europe will come on Monday, when the EU's 27 foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg to plan future military aid to Kyiv. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ukraine should join the discussion virtually.
In turn, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a key official behind the latest move to provide Kiev with additional air defense systems, welcomed the US legislative move, calling it a “day of optimism for Ukraine and European security& ;#8221;.
At the same time, with reference to an anonymous high-ranking Ukrainian officer, the TV channel indicates that the time for delivery of aid from the United States to the front depends on many factors.
— Implementation may take weeks, and delivery — months, — said the Ukrainian official.
