~6 0~p>The views of the Speaker of the House of Representatives have changed under the influence of several factors.
On the decision of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Republican Mike Johnson, to submit to The vote on the Ukraine aid bill was influenced by announced intelligence data, political pressure and changes in personal beliefs.
This is stated in the analytical publication of The New York Times.
As a rank-and-file Republican Party hardliner, Johnson opposed funding Kyiv's war effort until his party's demands for a stronger southern border were met.
However, shortly before the historic vote, Johnson spoke in a completely different way. “I want to be on the right side of history,” he said.
According to him, this is a critical time to do what is right. “I believe that providing lethal assistance to Ukraine is critical right now,” the politician told reporters at the Capitol.
Mike Johnson himself attributed his change of heart to intelligence received, including that Vladimir Putin will not stop and may encroach on the Baltic countries.
Another key moment in Johnson's change of position is the discussion in February of this year, which took place in the Oval Office of the White House, when congressional leaders met with Joe Biden. Senior national security officials then explained how dire the consequences would be if Ukrainian air defenses were not reinforced with American weapons.
Journalists say Johnson, during meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others, was struck by stories of the scale of suffering caused by Russian troops in the country. All this hurt Johnson's Christian feelings.
In addition, the Speaker also faced political pressure from some Republicans who, like Democrats, strongly supported aid to Ukraine and said how vital this aid was.
When he agreed to gloss the aid package, he had to face a wave of anger from the right wing of the Republican Party, whose representatives accused Johnson of treason and repeatedly called on him to change course. However, the politician noted that he is not worried about his post as speaker, but is seriously concerned about Ukraine’s ability to contain Russia without US help.
The publication noted that Johnson did not justify any of the relief bills, as speakers almost always do at the podium of the House of Representatives. After the law was passed, he only gave a fragmentary speech about the importance of help.
Recall that on Saturday, April 20, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to help Ukraine worth almost $61 billion.
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