By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of $60 billion in aid to Ukraine on Sunday, but urged Washington to quickly sign the bill into law and to proceed with the actual transfer of weapons, stating that long-range weapons and air defense systems were top priorities.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskiy said the bill’s passage would send a strong message to Russia that Washington stands with Kiev and that it will not be “a second Afghanistan.”
“I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance to win,” Zelenskiy said through a translator. But he has repeatedly urged US lawmakers to act quickly to pass the bill in the Senate.
“We really need to get to the last point. We need to get it approved by the Senate… so that we get tangible help for the front-line soldiers as soon as possible, not in another six months,” Zelensky said.
The U.S. House of Representatives, with broad bipartisan support, passed a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Aid to Ukraine had been blocked for months.
Nearly 26 months after the 2022 invasion, Russia is slowly advancing into eastern Ukraine and has stepped up bombing of cities and towns behind the front lines amid slowing Western military assistance.
The legislation now moves to the Democratic-majority Senate, which approved a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders, from Democratic President Joe Biden to Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, had urged Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the issue for a vote.
The Senate will begin considering the House-passed bill on Tuesday, with some preliminary votes in the afternoon. Final approval was expected next week, paving the way for Biden to sign it into law.