Congress Finally Gives Ukraine a Fighting Chance

After waiting six blood-drenched, anxious months as Russian rockets slammed into Ukrainian apartment buildings and hospitals, and moscow’s cutthroats made inroads across eastern Ukraine, lawmakers in Washington finally experienced a hopeful epiphany and voted to support $61 billion of military funding for Ukraine.

The wide range of weapons and other aid is now expected to give Ukrainian soldiers a fighting chance to halt Russia’s battlefield advances and perhaps even turn the war’s tide against the terrorist invader.

Just when you thought that the United States had abandoned its role as the champion of the still endangered former captive nations of russian subjugation, House speaker Mike Johnson, to the surprise and anger of his fellow Republicans, scheduled the vote on Saturday, April 20. In total, 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 112 Republicans voted against it.

This victory will certainly buoy the expectations of the pro-Ukraine legislators but the number of opponents of aid will not dampen the hostility of pro-moscow  congressmen.

Supporters of Ukraine, a broad range of kindred spirits including Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and other Ukrainian American organizations and individuals had deluged the Capitol with letters, emails, petitions and telephone calls insisting that lawmakers support military funding for the benefit of Ukraine and the free world. For weeks, the campaign was hit or miss with Republican descendants of the GOP that had championed liberty for the captive nations vehemently opposing helping Ukraine defend itself against russian aggression. The leaders of the pro-russian cabal were Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who earned the monicker of Moscow Marjorie, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Ukrainian-born Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who was chastised in Ukraine and the US for betraying her heritage. There were others but this trio was most adamant in opposing helping Ukraine.

After Ukraine aid was passed in the House, pro-Ukraine lawmakers exploded in tumultuous cheers of “Ukraine,” waving Ukrainian flags. Greene posted a video to X, denouncing her colleagues waving Ukrainian flags.

"Mike Johnson's House of Representatives so proud to work for Ukraine. Not the American people!!! It's despicable!" the congresswoman wrote Saturday afternoon.

That was not the extent of her anti-Ukraine fury. Demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge about Ukraine or her card-carrying affiliation with the Kremlin, Moscow Marjorie groundlessly denounced Ukraine of waging “a war against Christianity.” She continued: “The Ukrainian government is attacking Christians, the Ukrainian government is executing priests,” she said. “Russia is not doing that. They’re not attacking Christianity.” The same post-vote article in The Guardian appropriately pointed out that according to figures from the Institute for Religious Freedom Russia destroyed, damaged or looted at least 630 religious sites by December last year.

The Senate is expected to consider the foreign aid measures early next week, and President Biden is expected to sign the package.

Passage of Ukraine aid is also a major political slap in the face of former president Donald Trump. Trump has long criticized Ukraine while repeatedly sympathizing with russian leader vladmir putin, and has told advisers he would settle the war by letting russia keep the land it has already seized. He pushed to turn the Ukraine aid into a loan, prompting Republicans to include a loan requirement in Saturday’s legislation, with some caveats.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that he was “grateful” to the House, “both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track.”

Officials in Kyiv echoed Zelenskyy’s gratitude and expressed relief after the House of Representatives approved $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities were jubilant at the vote though their focus is shifting to how quickly assistance can get to the front line and how the package will change Kyiv’s fortunes in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

“The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

The Associated Press reported that the Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine within days after Congress passes a long-delayed aid bill. That’s because it has a network of storage sites in the US and Europe that already hold the ammunition and air defense components that Ukraine desperately needs.

The foreign aid package passed on Saturday also includes:

● $26.4bn (£21.34bn) in military support for Israel, with $9.1bn (£7.36bn) of that allocated to humanitarian aid for Gaza;

● $8.1bn (£6.55bn) in funding for allies in the Asia-Pacific, including Taiwan, to counter communist China.

The decision on the bill, which also includes funds to help keep Ukraine’s government running, came after airstrikes hit several major cities in the past week, including Chernihiv and Dnipro, killing dozens of people. Ukraine, which is also running low on air defense, said the strikes could have been avoided if it had better supplies.

Thankfully, as Winston Churchill opined, you can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.

Until russia’s war against Ukraine is concluded with victory for Kyiv and evacuation of russian cutthroats this matter will certainly return to the halls of Congress for another round of acrimonious fighting between the forces for good and Moscow’s evil forces.