Days after the Republican-led House of Representatives cleared the aid, the Democratic-controlled Senate followed suit, passing it with bipartisan support on a 79-18 vote.
WASHINGTON - The US Congress gave final approval to a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine late Tuesday, with President Joe Biden quickly vowing to sign the long-delayed bill and begin delivering fresh supplies this week to the war zone as Russia makes battlefield gains.
"I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week," Biden said in a statement shortly after the vote. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington in December to plead for fresh aid, quickly thanked US lawmakers for passing the bill, saying on social media that he looks"forward to the bill being signed soon and the next military aid package matching the resoluteness that I always see in our negotiations."
The Ukraine measure also allows Biden to confiscate and sell Russian assets and provide the money to Kyiv to finance reconstruction, a move that has been embraced by other G7 nations. Western officials have voiced alarm over the popularity of TikTok with young people, alleging it is subservient to Beijing and a conduit to spread propaganda and gather personal data - claims denied by the company.In addition to money for Ukraine, the package earmarks $13 billion for Israel, which is locked in a war with Hamas; more than $9 billion for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and elsewhere; and $8 billion in military support for Taiwan as it faces down China.
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