A vote in the US House of Representatives on aid to Ukraine is unlikely to take place until mid-April, and possibly later.
While Ukraine is suffering from the shell famine at the front, the United States continues to negotiate for aid to our country. A vote on a major bill was postponed again. The House of Representatives is unlikely to consider providing aid to Ukraine until mid-April, and possibly later, as Speaker Mike Johnson is still looking for ways to soften opposition from the hardline wing by Republicans, Bloomberg reports, citing party sources.
New condition
Johnson’s team has not shared a detailed plan for the relief package with Republicans and appears undecided on what concessions from the US administration he will push for. Party officials say that makes it difficult to rally support in time for next week’s vote.
In an interview with Fox News, the spokesman said that he will put new conditions for the provision of aid. According to Johnson, these conditions could include making a loan that Ukraine would have to repay, seizing Russian assets as compensation and reversing the White House’s decision to freeze the release of new license to export liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Johnson’s spokesman Taylor Halsey said the spokesman’s promise of quick action was not intended to set a specific deadline and that Johnson was “listening to the views of party members” on the plan.
Two Republican leadership officials said it was still possible Johnson could decide on the relief plan by the end of the week and speed up passage of the legislation next week, but such an accelerated timetable could lead to the bill’s failure as well. also additional standoffs with hardliners. Party lines.
Bloomberg reports that Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took the first procedural step last month to vote to remove Johnson from the speaker’s seat, indicating that the party’s tough response to Ukraine aid may create momentum for the collapse of power.
In previous episodes
On March 31, Republican Congressman Don Bacon said that the Ukraine aid bill would be voted on after April 9. Johnson had previously said that the Ukraine aid bill would include several important innovations. Then he mentioned the example of the possibility of providing credit assistance in Ukraine. The speaker noted that in this way it is possible to reassure conservatives who believe that the United States is doing too much for Ukraine.
Johnson also mentioned the REPO law, which allows Russian assets frozen in the United States to be seized and transferred to Ukraine.
“If we can use the seized property of the Russian oligarchs to allow the Ukrainians to fight them, this is pure poetry,” he stressed.
The speaker made it clear that he intends to push legislation that would provide funding for Ukraine, but he hasn’t decided exactly what that will look like.
PWhat is the use of gas here?
The White House is ready to end the freeze on the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to achieve the adoption of an aid package for Ukraine in the US Congress, Reuters reported, citing sources.
However, it was noted that US officials want to wait for the proposal to be fully evaluated before making any decisions.
Johnson has previously suggested that lifting the pause on LNG export approvals could make it easier for his party to back a new aid package for Ukraine in its fight with Russia.
Ending the pause is one of several measures Johnson has proposed adding to a new version of the national security bill that includes aid to Ukraine, which would help ease pressure from Republicans.
“We want to have natural gas exports that help defund Vladimir Putin’s war efforts,” Johnson said.
The publication’s interlocutors noted that lifting the pause may be acceptable for the White House to advance aid to Ukraine, partly due to the fact that the pause has no effect on the near-term -export of LNG.
At the same time, hardline Conservatives in the House of Representatives will likely expect more from Johnson.
In January, US President Joe Biden suspended approval of current and future LNG export applications following protests by activists concerned about its impact on climate change.
Activists worry that increased LNG exports could harm local communities through pollution, perpetuate global dependence on fossil fuels for decades, and lead to emissions from flaring. of gas and leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
LNG advocates argue that a long pause could backfire by prompting Asia’s leading economies to switch to dirtier coal and complicate Europe’s efforts to wean off Russian energy.
The US became the world’s largest LNG exporter last year, and export capacity is expected to double before the end of the decade with projects already approved.
Russia has been a major supplier of oil and gas to Europe, but since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has increasingly bought American LNG.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.