After months of delays and hand-wringing, the US president celebrated a major breakthrough, saying, “We came together and we got it done.”
US President Joe Biden today signed into law a $95 billion (€89 billion) aid package that includes assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – as well a provision that would force social media site TikTok to either be sold or be banned in the US.
The announcement marks an end to long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine.
“We rose to the moment. we came together. and we got it done,” Biden said at White House event to announce the signing. “Now we need to move fast, and we are,”
But significant damage has been done to the Biden administration’s effort to help Ukraine repel Russia’s brutal invasion during the funding impasse that dates back to August, when the Democratic president made his first emergency spending request for Ukraine aid.
Even with a burst of new weapons and ammunition, it is unlikely Ukraine will immediately recover after months of setbacks.
Biden also signed an initial aid package of military assistance and said shipment would begin in the “next few hours” – the first tranche from about €57 billion allocated for Ukraine, according to US officials.
It is expected to include air defence capabilities, artillery rounds, armoured vehicles and other weapons to shore up Ukrainian forces who have seen morale sink as Russian President Vladimir Putin has racked up win after win.
But longer term, it remains uncertain if Ukraine – after months of losses in Eastern Ukraine and sustaining massive damage to its infrastructure – can make enough progress to sustain American political support before burning through the latest influx of money.
“It’s not going in the Ukrainians’ favour in the Donbas, certainly not elsewhere in the country,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby, referring to the eastern industrial heartland where Ukraine has suffered setbacks. “Mr Putin thinks he can play for time. So we’ve got to try to make up some of that time.”
Biden underscored that the bill also includes a surge of humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza suffering as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
Biden said Israel must ensure the humanitarian aid for Palestinians in bill reaches Gaza “without delay.”
Russia now appears focused on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Russian forces have exploited air defence shortages in the city, pummelling the region’s energy infrastructure, and looking to shape conditions for a potential summer offensive to seize the city.
House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote on the supplemental aid package for months as members of his party’s far right wing, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, threatened to move to oust him if he allowed a vote to send more assistance to Ukraine. Those threats persist.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested his fellow Republicans’ holding up the funding could have a lasting impact on Ukraine’s hopes of winning the war.
“Make no mistake: Delay in providing Ukraine the weapons to defend itself has strained the prospects of defeating Russian aggression,” McConnell said Tuesday. “Dithering and hesitation have compounded the challenges we face.”