By Brahm G10

Throughout Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, it has been the beneficiary of aid and military equipment packages from nations around the world. However, given that the war has recently entered a stalemate, with expectations of peace talks commencing, much of this indispensable aid has stopped flowing into the country. This has caused Ukraine to reach a critical moment in the war, whereas Russia is preparing for a summer offensive. Ukraine is unable to maintain necessary fire suppression levels, only firing one artillery round for each of Russia’s twelve. To respond to this, the US House of Representatives proposed another Ukrainian aid package consisting of monetary support, as well as military equipment. However, the bill containing the aid was held up in the House of Representatives, with the opposition voicing concerns about the responsibility of the United States to support foreign nations at war that are not aligned with NATO. This struggle persisted over multiple weeks and compromises needed to be made on the amount of monetary support sent. Eventually, an agreement was reached, leading to a 95 billion dollar aid bill being passed on Monday night with a vote of 311 to 112. Through this bill, support will be additionally given to Israel and Taiwan, but with 61 billion of the 91 going directly to Ukraine. The bill is widely expected to pass in the Senate and land on the president’s desk, which Biden has already confirmed that he will sign into law. This bill intends to limit Russia’s ability to have an effective offensive, lessening its bargaining power and influence if peace talks are to commence.