US postpones vote on Ukraine aid until the new year

Leaders from both parties in the US Senate announced that a vote on the aid package for Ukraine and increased border security won't happen until the beginning of next year. 

Reuters reported that Republican John Thune stated that an agreement won't be reached until January 2024. He said, "Democrats have run out the clock to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before Christmas is impossible."

In a joint statement, Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell mentioned that negotiators are "making encouraging progress" but "challenging issues remain."

"Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema also pointed out that she couldn't say how challenging the issue is. "I cannot state how complex this is. It's the most complicated area of American law," she emphasized.

The US administration under President Joe Biden is making every effort to ensure support for Ukraine doesn't diminish. However, the ability to continue this support depends on lawmakers in Congress.

"As you know, in the United States, there are three branches of government, and on behalf of the executive branch, I can say that we fully support Ukraine. We are ready to support additional funding for Ukraine," said US Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The US administration announced on December 12 the allocation of a $200 million military aid package to Ukraine, including artillery shells, ammunition for small arms, and other weaponry.

A representative from the State Department underscored that the administration has funds for only one aid package for Ukraine.

"We have clearly stated that we want the funding for Ukraine, as proposed in the president's request, to be approved. We want this to be adopted by the end of the year. This remains our goal and priority," said the State Department representative.

US aid

As reported by Rubryka, negotiations in the US Senate have progressed about border protection to unlock aid for Ukraine. Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed positive expectations in the context of negotiations on immigration reform, a prerequisite for approving aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

In turn, the Pentagon stated that if Congress doesn't approve new funding, funds for military aid to Ukraine will run out by December 30.

The US funds designated for financing military aid to Ukraine are running out. In response, President Joe Biden requested over $100 billion from Congress, including over $60 billion for Ukraine. However, Congress did not support this initiative.

It is important to note that any agreement in the Senate, controlled by Democrats with a majority of 51 votes, must also receive approval from the Republican-controlled House of Representatives (majority at 221 against 213).