The speakers of 23 parliaments and the head of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola sent an open letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Mike Johnson. They are asking for consideration of a draft law on the allocation of $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) Ruslan Stefanchuk.
This bill has been sent to the House of Representatives and, according to the rules of procedure, Speaker Johnson has the authority to introduce it to the lower house of the US Congress.
"Our countries are determined to continue increasing support for Ukraine and its Defense Forces. All those responsible must be brought to justice, which will be a significant deterrent against further conflicts and restore a sense of control and security to our peoples," the letter reads.
The letter was signed by the speakers of the parliaments of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Spain and other countries. The letter remains open — other speakers of parliaments who wish to join it can join it.
What about American aid to Ukraine
US military aid to Ukraine was exhausted at the end of 2023. Last year in October, Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion is intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States. The rest of the funds from the package were intended for Israel, aid to the Asia-Pacific region, humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip, etc.
However, the request was not approved due to political disputes. Then representatives of the Congress and the White House began to work on the text of the bill, which, in particular, was supposed to contain the demand of the Republicans to strengthen the security of the US borders to stop migration from Mexico. Already on February 7, he did not get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate.
Subsequently, an alternative draft law appeared on the $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, of which $61 billion is for Ukraine. The US Senate voted for him. Both houses of the US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) must approve the legislation before President Joe Biden can sign it. However, the US House of Representatives adjourned without voting for aid to Ukraine — they will return to consider the draft law only on February 28.