US House of Representatives passes new Ukraine aid bill approving sanctions against Russia

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill providing military assistance to Ukraine, support for reconstruction and new sanctions against Russia. The decision has been made in circumvention of the traditional committee process thanks to votes from a group of Republicans who oppose President Donald Trump's position.

Source: The Hill

Details: The bill was backed by 226 members of the House, while 195 voted against it. It was brought to the floor through a discharge petition, bypassing committees. Democrats were joined by 18 Republicans and one independent member, Kevin Kiley, whose vote enabled the process.

"We all want this war to end. The question is, how?" said Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during his speech in the chamber.

He urged Congress to support "the brave Ukrainians fighting for their future, deliver them the weapons that they need to defend themselves, impose costs on the Kremlin for this immoral conflict, and hold Russia accountable for its war crimes".

The legislation includes funding for Ukraine's reconstruction, sanctions against Russia, countermeasures to Russian influence, additional security assistance for the Baltic states and loans for Ukraine under the Foreign Military Financing programme to purchase weapons.

Despite passing the House, the bill is unlikely to be considered in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune rarely goes against Trump's position.

The vote also highlighted declining Republican support for Ukraine: only 18 Republicans backed the bill, compared with 101 who supported additional aid in April 2024.

Republicans who opposed the document criticised the bill as outdated and described it as a "partisan messaging bill" aimed at dividing their ranks. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast wrote to colleagues that Democratic actions were undermining Trump's efforts to mediate an end to the war. Meeks, in turn, accused Republicans of weakening Ukraine's position by repeatedly blocking sanctions and delaying assistance.

Separately, another bipartisan initiative from Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal has remained stalled in the US Senate since April 2025. Their proposal includes sanctions on Russia and high tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil. Progress has been limited due to disagreements over wording, although Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a hearing on 3 May that he supports the tools included in the Graham-Blumenthal initiative.

Background: The House of Representatives passed a resolution limiting President Donald Trump's war powers regarding Iran.

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