US military aid for Ukraine: vote in Congress may be postponed despite Johnson's vows – Bloomberg
A vote in the US House of Representatives on aid to Ukraine is unlikely until mid-April, or possibly later, as Speaker Mike Johnson is still looking for ways to soften opposition from hard-line Republicans, reported Bloomberg with reference to interlocutors in the party leadership.
Johnson's team has not shared a detailed plan for the aid package with Republicans and appears undecided on what concessions he will push for from the administration, complicating the task of mustering support in time for next week's vote, sources said.
Earlier, the speaker said that he would put forward new conditions for providing assistance. According to Johnson, these conditions could include turning the aid into a loan that Ukraine would be required to repay, seizing Russian assets as compensation and reversing the White House's decision to freeze the issuance of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licenses.
Johnson's press secretary, Taylor Haulsee, said the speaker's promise of quick action was not intended to set a specific deadline and that Johnson was "sounding out members from across the party" on a plan, Bloomberg reports.
Two Republican leaders told the outlet that there was still a possibility that Johnson could make a decision on the supplemental over the weekend and speed up the passage of the law next week. At the same time, according to them, such an accelerated schedule can "threaten to sink the legislation", as well as to further antagonize the Republican hardliners.
As of September 2023, the US Congress cannot agree on a budget for 2024. In particular, there is no consensus on the issue of financial support for Ukraine.
On February 22, 2024, Zelenskyy said that the American Congress should approve further aid to Ukraine, otherwise "more and more of our heroic guys will be in hospitals."
On March 21, the Democrats in the US Congress began to support the initiative of the Republicans to provide assistance to Ukraine in the form of a loan.
On April 3, White House adviser John Kirby said that the US administration will continue actively looking for ways to provide Ukrainians with immediate support, as it did last month, amid the delay in the House of Representatives' decision on further assistance.