Congress clears $95bn aid package for Ukraine and Israel
The US Senate has approved a $95bn (£76bn) foreign aid package that includes military support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday.
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| Congress clears $95bn aid package for Ukraine and Israel |
The Senate on Tuesday evening backed the measure passed by the US House of Representatives on Saturday. It includes $61bn in military aid for Ukraine, which the Pentagon says can start being delivered to the war-torn nation "within days". It passed in a bipartisan vote of 79-18.
Mr Biden hailed its passage in a statement late on Tuesday, calling it "critical legislation [that] will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin".
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said: "After more than six months of hard work and many twists and turns in the road, America sends a message to the entire world: we will not turn our back on you." Reacting to the vote, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it "reinforces America's role as a beacon of democracy and leader of the free world". The Senate passed a similar aid package in February, but a group of conservatives who oppose new Ukraine support had prevented it from coming to a vote in the House of Representatives. Last week, Democrats and Republicans in the lower chamber joined together to bypass this opposition.