KYIV — Speakers of 23 parliaments have addressed Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, urging him to bring the bill to provide US$60.06 billion in aid to Ukraine to the floor after it was passed by the Senate.
Source: Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), who initiated the address
Details: The bill has now been submitted to the House of Representatives, and under the rules of procedure, Johnson has the authority to bring it to the floor.
The parliamentary speakers urged Johnson to facilitate the adoption of a historic decision by the US Congress that would ensure US assistance to foreign countries and provide Ukraine with the necessary funds to continue its struggle against Russian aggression.
“Our countries are committed to further increasing our support to Ukraine and its defence forces, seeing it as a considerable investment in our individual and collective security. The axis of evil must be defeated, and all perpetrators brought to justice. This will serve as a significant deterrent to further conflicts and will return a sense of control and security to our peoples,” the letter stated.
The letter was signed by the speakers of the parliaments of Germany, Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Spain and other countries.
The letter remains open for signing by other parliamentary speakers who wish to join it.
After meeting with other congressional leaders and President Joe Biden at the White House on 27 February, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he continued to prioritise border security.
During a press conference last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had notified the US and, in particular, Congress of the need to approve a multi-billion-dollar aid package within a month.