Supporters of bill to aid Ukraine and sanction Russia hit number to force House vote

WASHINGTON– Supporters of a bill to help Ukraine and sanction Russia reached a critical threshold Wednesday that allows them to bypass Republican leaders and force a House vote in the coming weeks.

The legislation aims to shore up U.S. aid to Ukraine by approving more than $1 billion in security assistance and making an additional $8 billion available in loans. His supporters have called on President Donald Trump to act more forcefully to deter Russia and strengthen Ukraine.

The lawmaker obtained 218 signatures on a petition from Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York that will force a vote in the House. Although the measure is unlikely to become law, the vote will allow lawmakers to officially register their support for Ukraine.

The petition was signed by 215 Democrats and two Republicans: Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California, became the final signature required to force the vote. Kiley said the bill would help strengthen Ukraine’s influence in advancing lasting peace.

“We must also send a strong message that Russia’s support for Iran’s targeting of U.S. military assets will not be tolerated,” Kiley said in a statement explaining his support for the petition.

But Speaker Mike Johnson expressed concerns about the timing of the vote.

“I’m in discussions with some of the sponsors right now,” Johnson said. “…The latest news coming out of Russia shows that the war appears to be waning, narrowing, and coming to a conclusion. I think Vladimir Putin has said that himself over the last few days, and so this would be a good time for Congress to see how this plays out. So I’m going to talk to my colleagues about it.”

Trump said Tuesday he believed Moscow and kyiv would soon reach an agreement to end the fighting.

“I really think the end of the war in Ukraine is very near,” Trump said as he left the White House for a summit in Beijing. “Believe it or not, it’s getting close.”

Putin said in a speech last weekend that his invasion of Ukraine “may be coming to an end.”

But on Wednesday, Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage on Ukraine, killing at least six people and injuring dozens, including children, in one of Moscow’s longest attacks in four years, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Fitzpatrick said he disagreed that the war was about to end and that the only way he would not vote for the Meeks measure would be if Russia withdrew its forces from Ukraine.

“There are people dying as we speak, so no, the war is not coming to an end,” Fitzpatrick said.

Meeks said it was time for lawmakers to publicly state their position.

“Members of Congress, some tell me they support Ukraine. Well, we’re finally going to get a vote to make this decision,” Meeks said.

He said he thought the House vote “would put pressure on the Senate and I think it should tell the president that America is watching and we want to stand with our allies and not Vladimir Putin.”

Lawmakers have been discussing various proposals to sanction Russia for months, but much of that discussion disappeared when Trump launched an attack on Iran in late February.

Although Senate Republicans have largely supported Ukraine, they have been reluctant to act without Trump’s support. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed skepticism that the Senate could pass sanctions against Russia, saying “we have such a pileup” of other legislation.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who pushed for a Russia sanctions bill in the Senate, said Wednesday: “There are parts of the bill that I like, parts of the bill that I don’t like.” »

Both Republicans and Democrats have also been frustrated that the Defense Department has not spent the $400 million in military aid to Ukraine that lawmakers allocated last year. At a hearing earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was working on a plan to spend those funds.

Support for Ukraine has been a major point of tension between Congress and Trump, who has pledged to quickly resolve the war once president. Instead, he has struggled to show progress toward a peace deal, even as his administration has often moved to withdraw support for Ukraine and the rest of Europe.