Senate has passed a long-delayed multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, paving the way for new weapons deliveries to Kyiv as soon as this week.
The US Senate voted resoundingly to approve the $95bn in aid. The final vote was 79 to 18.
The step was hailed by the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer as “one of the greatest achievements the Senate has faced in years.”
“Today the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world: America will always defend democracy in its hour of need,” Schumer said in a floor speech.
“Make no mistake, America will deliver on its promise to act like a leader on the world stage, to hold the line against autocratic thugs like Vladimir Putin. We are showing Putin that betting against America is always, always a grave mistake.”
Chuck Schumer
The Senate’s passage of the aid package ends a tortured odyssey on Capitol Hill that began last year with a request for the White House for a fresh round of funding for Ukraine and for Israel.
Additional funding for Ukraine has been the subject of months of acrimonious debate among lawmakers over how, or even whether, to help the country defend itself, with hardline Republicans linked to former President Donald Trump demanding concessions over the US’s southern border policy in exchange for their support.
“This national security bill is one of the most important measures Congress has passed in a very long time to protect American security and the security of Western democracy,” Schumer told reporters after the vote.
Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, a Republican and a strong supporter of assistance for Ukraine, expressed regret about the delay.
“I think we’ve turned the corner on the isolationist movement,” McConnell said.
The eventual passage demonstrates a willingness to prioritize international cooperation and security.
While political differences have inevitably surfaced, the outcome reflects a collective recognition of the importance of standing together against common adversaries and supporting nations facing significant challenges.
Much of the assistance in the $95bn package is for Ukraine, which has struggled to fend off Russian forces along its 1,000km (600-mile) front line.
The bill is worth $61bn to Ukraine but also provides $26bn for Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance in Gaza, Sudan and Haiti, as well as more than $8bn in military support for Taiwan, the democratic island China claims as its own.
“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” President Joe Biden said in a statement shortly afterwards.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed its final passage.
“Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defence are critical tools for restoring just peace sooner,” he wrote on social media, saying the move reinforced “America’s role as a beacon of democracy and leader of the free world.”
Global Military Spending At New Record
The world spent $2.4 trillion on military forces last year, the highest amount ever recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
According to the institute, the new high of $2.4 trillion is the ninth straight annual increase, suggesting the trend will continue.
SIPRI has been monitoring military expenditures since 1949 and found in its annual report that in 2023, they rose to 2.3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.2 percent the year before.
The United States remained the biggest spender at $916bn, representing 37 percent of the world’s military outlays. China came second with an estimated $296bn.
Russia was third at $109bn although SIPRI considers this an underestimation “due to the increasing opaqueness of Russian financial authorities since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022”.
India came fourth at $83.6bn.
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