Zelensky phones Mike Johnson urging ‘quick passage’ of stalled $60 billion Ukraine aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Speaker Mike Johnson to update him on the ongoing war against Russia Thursday as Congress mulls a massive foreign aid package for the embattled nation.
The call between the two leaders comes as Republicans have not committed to putting a much-needed $60 billion aid bill on the floor due to internal turmoil.
‘I briefed Speaker Johnson on the battlefield situation, specifically the dramatic increase in Russia’s air terror,’ Zelensky said about the call on a post to X.
The Ukrainian president said that Russia had recently launched a bombardment of over 1,000 airstrikes into his country.
‘Last week alone, 190 missiles, 140 ‘Shahed’ drones, and 700 guided aerial bombs were launched at Ukrainian cities and communities,’ he wrote.
‘In this situation, quick passage of US aid to Ukraine by Congress is vital,’ Zelensky continued.
‘We recognize that there are differing views in the House of Representatives on how to proceed, but the key is to keep the issue of aid to Ukraine as a unifying factor.’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Speaker Mike Johnson in the Capitol in December to discuss the country’s ongoing war against Russia. On Thursday they spoke again by phone as Congress has stalled on a $60 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine
Zelensky posted on X that Ukraine has endured over 1,000 Russian airstrikes since last week
Zelensky has said American aid is critical to the country’s ongoing war against Russia
The president’s plea for assistance comes as Congress has hit a roadblock on how to move forward with funding for Ukraine.
Last month, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that included $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and almost $5 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.
But after the upper chamber stripped out provisions in the bill meant for border security, Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill would be dead on arrival to the House.
Now, there have been conversations on how to get the foreign aid package on the House floor for a vote with or without Johnson’s backing.
The mechanism to do so is called a discharge petition, but that would require a majority of members in the House – at least 218 lawmakers – to sign onto the procedure, which would require bipartisan support.
And it will be a heavy lift getting Democrats and Republicans on the same page for the nearly $100 billion package.
Some Democrats have come out against the bill for providing unconditional aid for Israel to continue its war against Hamas while Republicans slammed the package for providing money abroad but not to secure the southern border.
However, Johnson could allow a discharge petition led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., to move forward. Fitzpatrick is trying to move a bill he wrote, together with a handful of moderates in both parties.
Their bill offers $66 billion in defense-only aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and fresh border security provisions that would last a year, including some Trump-era border provisions like Remain in Mexico.
Through a discharge petition, Fitzpatrick could take the fall for the aid from the far right, going around Johnson to force a vote on the House floor if he gets a simple majority of signatures.
So far his petition only has 15 signatories, and a Democrat-led effort has 190. But the petition would lose the hard right over Ukraine funding and the hard left over Israel funding.
Ukrainian soldiers attend military training this month as the Russia-Ukraine war continues
The $61 billion foreign aid package would provide military armaments for Ukraine’s soldiers
Further complicating Zelensky’s request for American money is an effort to oust Speaker Johnson from power.
As the House voted to pass a ginormous $1.2 trillion government funding package last week rabble-rouser Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to remove the speaker.
Greene and conservatives allies were furious the 1,000 page package was released in the middle of the night, with under 48 hours to read it before the vote.
‘He should not bring funding for Ukraine,’ Greene told reporters after filing the motion to vacate the speaker.
She called her bid to remove the speaker ‘a warning’ and indicated she would not take further action on it should Johnson acquiesce to her wishes.
Still, Democrats are largely in favor of the aid for Ukraine and they could come to Johnson’s rescue should Greene move to oust him.