US aid package to Ukraine could be ready
Mike Johnson, US House speaker has revealed that a vote to send financial aid to Ukraine is a possibility, according to The Guardian.
The Louisiana congressman suggested a vote on a standalone bill may go ahead when Congress returns from its Easter break on 9th April.
Mr Johnson told Fox News he would urge that the financial support be presented as loans to Ukraine, the BBC reported.
He also proposed that the US government seize and sell the assets of Russian oligarchs, which were frozen at the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
READ: Macron won’t rule out sending NATO troops to Ukraine
It is estimated that $300 billion of assets in the Russian central bank have been frozen, however, most of this remains under European control; not American.
“If we can use the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to allow the Ukrainians to fight them, that’s just pure poetry,” Mr Johnson stated.
In order to get as many of his republican colleagues on his side, Mr Johnson emphasised the benefit of the loan concept, stating, “we’re not just giving foreign aid, we’re setting it up in a relationship where [Ukraine] can provide it back to us when the time is right.”
The White House reported that the government’s approved aid for Ukraine came to an end at the beginning of 2024 and has stressed that Russia “gains every day” when Ukraine goes without continuous American support.
Despite Mr Johnson’s promising plan, an article in the New Republic has criticised the US-Ukraine deal for climate cautious reasons.
While the US government is divided over the possibility of financial support for Ukraine to keep Russia at bay, France has turned to China in search of a resolution to the ongoing war.
Although China claims to be neutral in the conflict, it has not yet condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The Guardian/BBC
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