Biden calls on Congress to urgently approve aid to Ukraine and Israel

US President Joe Biden and congressional leaders held a phone call late Sunday to discuss military assistance to Ukraine and Israel amid a massive strike that Iran attempted to launch against Israel on Sunday night. According to a White House statement, President stated about the urgent need for the House of Representatives to pass a bill on aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, previously approved by the Senate.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, did not bring this document to a vote because it does not suit many Republicans in Congress. They advocate linking the adoption of the bill with the tightening of migration legislation or changes in the text of the document, in particular the inclusion of the possibility of allocating loans to Ukraine rather than direct assistance.

After the attack on Israel, which was repelled by US air defense systems, however, representatives of both parties declare the need to urgently provide military assistance to the Jewish state. The fastest way is to pass a bill already approved by the Senate, which allocates about $14 billion to help Israel and more than $60 billion to Ukraine.

The call with Biden included Johnson, as well as Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress. All meeting participants directly or indirectly called on Johnson to bring the bill to a vote this week.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives previously said that the chamber would discuss aid to both Israel and Ukraine this week, but hinted that some modified version of the bill would be presented. A number of right-wing Republicans previously threatened that they could initiate Johnson’s resignation if he put to a vote a version that did not suit them.

Ukrainian officials are calling on Congress to quickly pass the relief bill, pointing to the urgent need to bolster the country’s air defenses and that without U.S. weapons supplies, Russia’s firepower advantage could become overwhelming.