Zelensky lauds House passage of Ukraine aid bill: ‘This is a solution for protecting life’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the U.S. after the House passed a bill providing additional funds to Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

“Today, we received the awaited decision on the US aid package that we long fought for. And a very significant one,” Zelensky wrote on social media platform X. “Our warriors on the front lines, as well as our cities and villages suffering from Russian terror, will feel it.”

“I thank everyone who supported our package, this is a solution for protecting life,” he continued. “I personally thank Speaker Mike Johnson and all American hearts who believe, as we do in Ukraine, that Russian evil must not be winning.”

The House passed a series of foreign aid bills Saturday, marking a moral victory for the inexperienced Speaker, who took the gavel less than six months ago. The package includes roughly $61 billion for Ukraine.

The move to provide more assistance to the Eastern European country did not come without roadblocks. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who vehemently opposed the bill and ripped her colleagues following its passage, filed a motion to vacate the Speakership late last month.

The Georgia Republican has not yet given a timeline for when she may force a vote on her ouster resolution, and her path forward was muddied after former President Trump put his support behind Johnson.

The Speaker has also largely brushed off the threat, calling it “absurd,” and moved forward with the series of bills despite the conservative outcry.

Zelensky on Saturday pressed the Senate to take up the legislation quickly and send it to President Biden’s desk.

“We appreciate every sign of support for our country and its independence, people, and way of life, which Russia is attempting to bury under the rubble. America has demonstrated its leadership since the first days of this war,” he wrote on X. “Exactly this type of leadership is required to maintain a rules-based international order and predictability for all nations.”

“We will undoubtedly use American assistance to strengthen both of our nations and bring a just end to this war closer, the war that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin must lose,” the Ukrainian leader added.

Zelensky concluded, “The world rallies behind Ukraine’s cause when Ukrainians rally behind independence.”

The Senate is expected to take up the package on Tuesday. They will also consider a motion to table the bills, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).