US House of Representatives advances new Ukraine aid package

According to Ukrinform, The Hill stated this in an article.

The House voted 218-204 on a procedural motion that clears the way for a vote on the "Ukraine Support Act," introduced by Democrat Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"This vote is not a process vote, it’s a statement on whether this Congress and all of its members stand with and support Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, and its fight for freedom, its fight for democracy, and its fight for liberty," Meeks said on the House floor after the vote.

The bill, first introduced in April 2025, had remained stalled as Republicans aligned with Trump suspended efforts to provide support to Ukraine. The legislation would provide Ukraine with $8 billion in military loans, extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2027—allowing the United States to send weapons directly from Pentagon stockpiles—and impose additional sanctions on Russia.

Republican Don Bacon wrote on X that "the House will vote on final passage tomorrow."

"We’ve waited long enough to help Ukraine & put sanctions on Russia. This is our Churchill vs Chamberlain moment ," he added.

At the same time, the publication notes that the bill's text is outdated because the amount allocated for the USAI fund is lower than the $400 million Congress approved through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. It also calls on NATO members to commit to spending 2% of GDP on defense, whereas NATO members in 2025 largely committed to reaching defense spending equal to 5% of GDP.

"Anyone voting for this is saying that Ukraine should have $100 million less funding and that NATO countries should be spending 2 percent of their GDP on national defense rather than ​percent. That is the exact opposite of aiding Ukraine," a senior House Republican said.

Nevertheless, supporters of Ukraine believe that passage of the Meeks bill would send a powerful signal of U.S. support at a time when Russia is intensifying attacks on the country and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly appealed to Trump for Patriot interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles.

As Ukrinform reported, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the process of approving $400 million in military aid for Ukraine would be completed soon.

Photo: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU)