A group of congressmen, mainly from the Democratic Party, announced in a joint statement that they had obtained the 218th – the last necessary – signature on a special petition (the so-called discharge petition) to force a vote on the draft Ukraine Support Act.
Submitting a petition makes it possible to organize a vote on the project, bypassing the decision of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who has so far blocked such a move. The vote is expected in June.
“We are pleased that the House will finally begin to pass strong legislation to support the Ukrainian people in their fight to defend their nation and its sovereignty,” wrote the bill's authors, Democrats Gregory Meeks, Steny Hoyer and Marcy Kaptur and Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kiley and Don Bacon, in a statement. “The Ukraine Support Act could provide this assistance and also impose additional sanctions on Russia to hold it accountable for its brutal war,” they added, urging the Senate to quickly take up the bill after it passes the House of Representatives.
What does the project involve?
The project provides for a comprehensive support package for Ukraine, including diplomacy, military assistance and an extensive sanctions regime against Russia. The part regarding sanctions obliges, among others: the president to impose additional restrictions: on Russian financial institutions, all companies in the energy and mining sectors, the Rosatom concern, people involved in the construction of the Crimean bridge, people threatening the security of the Zaporozhye power plant and entities facilitating arms deliveries from North Korea. The project also envisages cutting off sanctioned banks from the SWIFT system, increasing customs duties on Russian goods to a minimum of 500 percent, a 100 percent tax on income from frozen sovereign assets of Russia and Belarus, and a ban on the import of products from refineries processing Russian oil.
In terms of military assistance, the bill extends the Lend-Lease mechanism until fiscal year 2028, authorizes up to $8 billion in loans under the Foreign Military Financing program for the purchase of equipment by Ukraine and NATO allies, and extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative) equipment purchase program until the end of 2027 with a budget of $300 million. The Baltic countries are to receive $30 million a year in additional military financing.
In the diplomatic part, the Congress condemns Russian aggression and war crimes, including the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and confirms the US obligations towards NATO. The bill establishes the Ukraine Reconstruction Trust Fund, allocates $250 million to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and establishes the position of Special Coordinator for Ukraine Reconstruction at the Department of State. It also provides for a war risk insurance program for ships trading with Ukraine and US-Europe nuclear cooperation with a budget of $30 million per year.
Forcing a vote on the project – the success of which is very likely – is a breakthrough in the ongoing negotiations since April last year. efforts of congressmen to impose additional sanctions on Russia. However, the success of the vote in the House will not guarantee the adoption of the bill by the Senate.
Another sanctions bill has been pending in the Senate for over a year, providing for, among other things, the possibility of the president imposing 500 percent tariffs on goods from countries purchasing Russian oil. Despite the support of more than 80 of 100 senators, it has not yet been put to a vote due to the opposition of President Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, one of the Democratic activists working on the project told PAP that he considers it a breakthrough. – We don't know how it will all turn out, but it is certainly part of the pressure on the White House. And this pressure will only grow, also in the Senate, he said.
