The US Congress has gathered votes to submit a $1.3 billion aid package to Ukraine for consideration

The US House of Representatives has collected 218 signatures, which are necessary for a vote on a bill on a new $1.3 billion security assistance package for Ukraine.

This is reported by The New York Times.

The document was initiated by Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. For several months, the bill could not be brought to consideration due to the lack of one vote.

On May 13, independent congressman from California Kevin Keeley supported the so-called “dismissal petition”, which allows bypassing the leadership of the House of Representatives and bringing the document to a vote at the end of May.

What the new aid package provides

The bill includes:

$1.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine;

up to $8 billion in additional support in the form of loans;
funds to replenish US weapons stocks;
financing for post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

A separate block of the document concerns sanctions pressure on Russia.

New sanctions against the Russian Federation

The bill provides for new restrictions on Russian financial institutions, the oil and mining industries, as well as certain high-ranking Russian officials.

Among the persons against whom sanctions may be imposed:

Vladimir Putin;
Mikhail Mishustin;
Sergey Lavrov;
Andrey Belousov.

Sanctions may also affect Rosatom, vessels of the so-called Russian “shadow fleet” and persons involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children.

What are the chances of adoption

The petition was supported by all Democrats and some Republicans. However, American media assess the chances of the final adoption of the bill as low due to opposition from part of the Republican Party.

In particular, Donald Trump is critical of the new aid to Ukraine.

At the same time, earlier, the head of the US Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, announced the unblocking of $ 400 million in aid to Ukraine, which was previously delayed due to internal checks.